My Masked Man
by IHatePotatoes
Summary: All Human. Rose is about to get married when tragedy strikes. She is forced to marry Dimitri Belikov as her father's last wish. Will she ever love him? What happens when she meets a stranger and falls in love with him? Will their marriage ever work?
1. The Beginning

I** DO NOT OWN VAMPIRE ACADEMY**

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_**Rose POV**_

It was the day of my wedding. I don't remember being so happy in my life. Sure, I was nervous, but I was sure I loved Adrian. And I knew he loved me too. He would always say that I could never love him as much as he loved me and I couldn't fight him. He was right.

When I'd met him in High School, he was a playboy, always drunk or with girls but when we started dating, he quit everything for me. Sure, he would still go and get drunk with Mason and Eddie but it wasn't the same. I was a wild child, but I knew when to be sober and Adrian excited my wild side. He was fun. He was ready to take risks and he was _mine._

I didn't have to make sure whether everything was perfect for the wedding. I was an event planner and planning came to me naturally. I had planned the wedding myself with help from my best friend- Lissa.

I looked at the clock again. I was getting irritated. Four hours to my wedding and Mason, Adrian, Eddie and Christian hadn't returned from their bachelor party. I called Lissa and she assured me that she'd we with me in another 10 minutes.

Lissa arrived and I was surprised to see Christian along with her.

"Sparky! Where are the others?"

I called Christian 'Sparky' ever since he burnt down the dining table by knocking off the candles during their first date. I had no idea what Lissa saw in him but as time passed he had started to grow on me. He was like an elder brother I never had.

"He left early Rose, he couldn't sleep without me" Lissa answered as Christian hugged her from behind.

I stopped them before they started making out in my room. The guests would be arriving shortly. The Belikovs, who were close friends of my dad. I had never met them because my family had moved to Turkey when I was a baby. Abe still visited them when he went on business trips.

Lissa and I got busy with a few last minute arrangements. I was worried why Adrian was late but I pushed it to the back of my mind.

_**D POV**_

My mom was dragging me to see Abe's daughter's marriage. I had never met the girl and my mom kept nagging me how she was seven years younger to me and was already getting married. I rolled my eyes at her.

Abe's wife Janie was one of my mother's best friends ever since Abe saved my life. It was during their honeymoon. Janie was expecting Rose at that time. I was sleeping over at my best friend Alexander's house the previous day and we were driving back to my house. On the back home, a drunk driver took everything that I called my second family away from me. I watched my best friend bleed to death. I was miraculously saved as I had been sitting at a safer spot.

Abe and Janie happened to be driving back the same was and when they found me, they rushed me to the hospital. My mom had met Janie then and they soon became good friends.

Abe and my mom remained in touch even after Abe lost Janie to cancer when Rose was only three. He was a good man and he visited us often. We finally reached the Mazur home.

When I entered the house I wandered around looking for the bathroom. On my way there saw a really beautiful brunette. She was laughing at something that the blonde girl standing next her said. After I washed and freshened up, I was coming out of the bathroom when I bumped into her.

"Who are you?" She demanded. She was even prettier up close. Her long brown hair loose and I could see that she was getting dressed for the wedding.

"Who are you?" I asked

"I'm Rose, the bride but you still haven't answered me"

She was the bride. I should have guessed. She was easily the most beautiful woman around. My mind wandered _what if she'd met me before Adrian or whatever his name was?_ _Would she want to marry me instead? _My mind began to spin all sorts of fantasies. _Stop it Dimitri! She's getting married to another man, and she probably thinks you're a weirdo_. I realised that she was looking at me impatiently.

"I'm Dimitri Belikov" She probably didn't even know me.

I was wrong. Recognition flashed in her eyes as soon as she heard my name. She flashed a huge smile.

"You have no idea how much trouble you're in" Now I was confused. Had she got the wrong person?

"I spent all my teenage life being compared to you. My dad always went on and on how Dimitri never came home drunk, how Dimitri was so much more responsible that me, blah blah.."

Wow she had been compared to me? What about the fact that my mom kept nagging me about how Rosemarie was younger to me and already getting married.

"Yeah and I pretty much get nagged by my mom all day about how you're younger to me and you're already married" I replied

She grinned and replied "Maybe it's not your fault after all"

Our conversation was interrupted when Rose's blonde friend came over and asked if she could talk to Rose in person. I guessed that I was not wanted around and my eyes wandered to Abe who had a sad look on his face as a black haired guy whispered something in his ear.

As I made my way to Abe he whispered "He's dead"

Who was dead? Why did Abe look so haunted?

"Dimitri, Adrian's dead" He said again. I was shocked. No. Rose would be shattered. This should not be happening to her.

"How?" was all that came out of my mouth.

"He died in a car accident. He was driving here with Mason and Eddie and they were still drunk. Their car crashed into a tree. They're all dead" The black haired guy replied.


	2. Chapter 2

As I made my way to Abe he whispered "He's dead"

Who was dead? Why did Abe look so haunted?

"Dimitri, Adrian's dead" He said again. I was shocked. No. Rose would be shattered. This should not be happening to her.

"How?" was all that came out of my mouth.

"He died in a car accident. He was driving here with Mason and Eddie and they were still drunk. Their car crashed into a tree. They're all dead" The black haired guy replied.

_**D POV**_

Abe's face suddenly crumpled in pain and he staggered forward. I caught him before he could fall down. He looked like he was in terrible pain. I yelled for my mom. She was a nurse she would know what to do.

Rose's choked sobs broke out through the dead silence in the room. She made her way to her father as tears ran down her face.

Her eyes were filled with pain and it hurt me to see her in so much pain. She was gorgeous even when she cried.

My mother and babushka helped Abe into the ambulance as I climbed in with Rose into a SUV as the dark haired guy Christian drove us to the hospital.

We waited for what seemed like ages in the waiting room.

Rose laid her head against my shoulder as she cried. I'm sure she had no clue of what was going on around her. It was too much for her to take all in one day.

When the doctor finally came out to talk to us, he had a grave look on his face. I got up to speak to him alone. Rose wouldn't be able to survive through any more pain.

As I followed him into a secluded spot he began to speak.

"I'm sorry, we tried our best but there's not much we could do for him. He has very little time left. You may go and see him although he is still unconscious. "

I nodded numbly as tears rolled down my cheeks. Abe had been like a father to my family ever since my father had left us when we were only kids.

I asked Rose if she wanted to see her father. She nodded silently as I helped her to his room.

He looked so weak and unlike himself as he lay on the white sheets. Wires and tubes ran all over his body. It hurt me to see him like this as Rose's sobs broke out again as she buried her head in my chest. I tried to calm her down by whispering calming words in Russian. Finally it worked as her body went limp and she fell asleep.

I carried her to the spare bed in the room and laid her down and played with her hair as I watched her sleep. I wished that I could see her smile again. I really missed her smile.

I turned to look at Abe and he had finally gained conscious. He motioned me to come over with his finger and I obliged.

"You really care about her don't you?" His voice was hoarse and weak. It came out as only a whisper.

There was no point in lying to him. He knew me too well. I simply nodded as he continued.

"I've never expected any favour from you for what I did so long ago. I've never expected anything out of anyone. But this is about Rosemarie. She has nobody left after me I want you to do something for me"

As he was speaking Rose had gotten up and she moved to sit on the chair beside Abe as she held his hand. She brought his hand to her lips as tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

"Rosemarie, I want you to hear this too. I'm the only family you have left and I'm not going to last too long. I want you to be happy. I love you. There's not many people I can trust in this world and I know Olena is a good woman and you are a good boy. I just w-w-want.." Abe began to struggle for words.

"What is it Abe?" I encouraged

"I want you to marry Rose and give her a family"

_**Sorry this chapter may not be so great. I actually wrote it during chemistry.**_

_**Anyway, review even if its bad.. :)**_


	3. Chapter 3

**_I just wanted to show how Rose felt about Abe,Adrian and Dimitri in this chapter..._**

**_Hope you'll like it.._**

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**_ROSE POV_**

I was talking to this man named Dimitri. I knew him as a family friend. I had never seen him before but the mental image I had made of him was entirely different. I hadn't expected him to be this _hot_ you know. I thought he would be all old and eww.

He had shoulder length brown hair and dark chocolate brown eyes. His shoulder length hair looked so soft that I had the urge to run my fingers through it. _What is wrong with you Rose? You're getting too nervous about this marriage. He's not your type. Besides you love Adrian._

I conversation was abruptly interrupted by Lissa who looked like she wanted to tell me something very badly. Her expression betrayed the fact that the news was not good. _Shit. I knew it. It must be the stupid florist. I should have called and made sure that he delivered the flowers early._

I noticed that Dimitri had moved away from us by now.

"Liss, what's wrong? Did Sparky burn my wedding hall" I joked "Spill already, it couldn't be that bad"

Lissa didn't smile. Uh-Oh. Something was seriously wrong.

"Rose I'm really sorry-Adrian wont be able to make it to the wedding" Now I was confused.

"That's impossible, I called him an hour ago and he said that he'd be here in half an hour, he's probably just late…."

"No Rose. He's dead. Their car crashed on the way here. None of them were able to make it"

I searched Lissa's face for traces of humour. She looked dead serious. I felt numb. Like it was a dream. I would wake up soon and all this would all disappear. At least I hoped that it was all a bad dream.

As reality set in I realised thatAdrianwas never coming back. I would never be able to lay in his arms or tangle my fingers in his artfully messy hair.

He would never be able to tell me that he loved me and I would never be able to whisper it back to him. I should have given in to our feelings and made love to him instead of waiting forever. I should have been there with him during his last moments. Held him and whispered my love for him.

He wasn't coming back. All I was worried about was how the florist would deliver the flowers late or how Christian would burn the tables. Had I even thought about Adrian? I was the world's worst girlfriend.

A part of my heart felt missing, like it was replaced by an empty hole. I had no idea what to do with myself. I was a self-centred bitch. I was ogling at Dimitri on my wedding day. I never deservedAdrianor his love.

Sobs racked through my body and I felt pain everywhere. My throat felt blocked and even breathing took an effort.

Commotion on the other side of the room momentarily made me break away from the pain. As tears blurred my vision I made my way to the other side of the room.

I didn't care whether I looked ugly with my makeup smudged. I wasn't going to get married today anyway.

I made my way over and I saw an extremely pale Abe being carried in a stretcher. _No. God please no. I can't take any more than this. Please don't take Abe away from me. I have nothing left I this world. He's all I have._

I wasn't even aware of what was happening around me. All I could feel was a strong pair of arms surrounding me and a strong after shave soothing me.

After what felt like eternity I was allowed to see Abe. I felt so exhausted, physically and mentally.

When I awoke, Abe was talking to Dimitri. I guessed it was he who had helped me get to the hospital. I should have been thankful to him but all I felt was resentment.

Ever since he had entered my life all he had brought was sorrow. Just a five minute conversation with him and Adrian was dead.

I made my way to Abe, held his hand and brought his hands to my lips. He began to speak.

"Rosemarie, I want you to hear this too. I'm the only family you have left and I'm not going to last too long. I want you to be happy. I love you. There are not many people I can trust in this world and I know Olena is a good woman and you are a good boy. I just w-w-want.." Abe began to struggle for words.

"What is it Abe?" Dimitri encouraged

"I want you to marry Rose and give her a family" he told him

A gasp left my mouth followed by sobs as I shook my head. Now I absolutely loathed Dimitri. He brought nothing but pain in my life.

In an instant I was loosing everything. First Adrian and then Abe. My body felt like it was being skinned. I ran out of the room. I needed space to think.

As I sat outside, I realised that it wasn't Dimitri's fault. He was only trying to help me. I had to stop being so self centred.

If Abe wanted me to get married to Dimitri, I would marry him. For Abe's sake.

I made my way to the hospital ward.

"Abe, I'll marry Dimitri if that's what you want"

Dimitri moved towards me and we stood by Abe's bedside as Dimitri slid a beautiful ring on my third finger.

I couldn't help but be awed by its beauty.

"It was my mother's engagement ring" he told me.

As we turned to Abe he struggled for a while and then let out 4 words.

"I love you both" and then he was gone.

I don't know how long I sat there and cried. My eyes hurt and my throat felt dry. Dimitri sat by my side and comforted me through everything. but I has to tell him this.

"Dimitri, I married you because Abe wanted me to and he meant the world to me. I will continue to be married to you only because Abe wanted it. I will be your wife but I will never ever love you. If you wish to leave me, you may go ahead"

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How was it? Good or bad? Review Pleeease.

Ps Ignore any spelling errors. I always have problem with spelling :L


	4. Chapter 4

_**I want to thank all those who reviewed and Favorited my story. It really means a lot to me. **_

_**I DO NOT OWN VAMPIRE ACADEMY OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**_

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**_D POV_**

"Dimitri, I married you because Abe wanted me to and he meant the world to me. I will continue to be married to you only because Abe wanted it. I will be your wife but I will never ever love you. If you wish to leave me, you may go ahead"

Her words hurt me much more than she could ever imagine. Honestly, I should have seen it coming. What was I expecting? For her to be happy about marrying me? She wanted to marry some other guy. She was forced to marry me because he was dead.

I wouldn't let her go so easily. It was what she wanted me to do. Get rid of her. I would stick to Abe's promise. A small part of my head said that I was not letting her go because I wanted her for myself and I had her now. Maybe not the way I wanted her but I still had her. She was getting married to me, but I wanted her heart as well.

I would win her over. She probably hated me because of what all had happened to her but I would be there for her I decided.

Abe's and Adrian's funeral was a small affair. Roza didn't want to go through the pain of making it a big affair.

I could see that Rose was not coping well. _Maybe a vacation would do her good. We could go to Russia for a week before flying back home to Montana. _I decidedtaht we would get married in Russia.

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**_Rose POV_**

The moment I walked out of the hospital ward, Lissa ran to comfort me. I felt so much safer and comforted in her familiar arms. She was the only family I has left.

Lissa was quick to notice the ring on my finger. I had to explain the whole story of how we were engaged because my father wanted it. She was the only person who actually understood my pain.

"Rose, do you even know who Dimitri Belikov is?" Lissa suddenly interrupted.

_Why would Lissa ask me that?_

"Yeah, he's the guy I was talking to when I came to know about Adrian's death. Why are you asking me that?"

"Rose, he's a freaking millionaire! There are almost a million crazed chicks who want to marry him and he's turned each one of them down."

I bet my jaw dropped in shock. _He's forced to marry me. If he could have all those girls why would he want me. He's here only because he promised Abe. _The realization hurt me. We would never have a happy marriage. Just because he is getting married to me didn't mean he would love me.

And if he lived in Montana even I would have to shift there. That was the only thing I looked forward to. I had lots of friends in Montana before I shifted to Chicago. At least I wouldn't be alone.

Dimitri appeared out of nowhere saying that he wanted to talk to me. _What did he want now?_

"Rose, I think we should go to Russia for a while. We could get married there" He said

Its not like I had a choice so I agreed. Plus his mom was my mom's friend. I would need the company. I had met his sister Victoria earlier and we got along really well. I had a feeling that I would love her almost as much as I loved Lissa.

"We'll leave in three days. I have business to take care of"

He wasn't taking me to Russia for a vacation. He was taking me because he had business there.

I didn't want to fight over it. I'd told him enough already and I was sure that he had got the message.

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The next few days flew by as we packed off and got rid of the things we had brought for the wedding. I didn't want to keep my wedding dress so I gave it off to Lissa.

Olena had said that she had a wedding dress that would fit me and I agreed.

I bade Lissa goodbye along with my old life. I would miss Turkey. And Abe. _  
_

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**This chapter sucked. It was a filler. But things will get better in Russia :D **


	5. Chapter 5

_**I DO NOT OWN VAMPIRE ACADEMY OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**_

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_**ROSE POV**_

Finally we were packed and ready to leave. Lissa and Christian had left earlier because Christian had business to take care of in Montana. The house was chaos as Dimitri's sisters rushed around the house packing their things.

Dimitri kept me company and helped me pack and his presence was oddly comforting. I didn't want to be left alone because the feelings of loneliness would take over as soon as I was alone.

Although I was comforted with his presence around, I didn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that. We never shared the same room and ever since the funeral I made sure that I never cried around him. I didn't want to hug him knowing that I was nothing but a burden to him.

The car ride was a cramped one with Viktoria complaining continuously. She was only a few years younger than me and reminded me of myself before Adrian's accident and before I had become this numb zombie. The things I liked to do earlier suddenly held to interest to me anymore.

We boarded the plane and I took one last look outside the window and silently said goodbye to everything including the old Rose. I couldn't help notice how all the air hostesses kept staring at Dimitri and checking him out and then shooting me jealous glares.

It was an odd feeling, I didn't like it when they checked him out but I liked it when they sent me the jealous stares.

I didn't blame them. Dimitri was HOT, and his accent made him even hotter. I mean who wouldn't want a sexy muscular Russian? _Me._ It wasn't that I didn't want him. It was that his presence reminded me of what had happened just 5 days ago. To top that, I felt like I was betraying Adrian. I wanted to mourn his death, not marry the next person available.

Dimitri obviously didn't understand this. Throughout the trip there were only one word conversations between us. Thankfully, Viktoria sat on my other side and tried to teach me bits of Russian. She was quite unsuccessful and finally gave up and she began to tell me about her friends in Russia.

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When we landed in Russia, it was completely different from what I had imagined. I had always thought of Russia as an Artic wasteland and was surprised to see that it was so much more beautiful than I imagined.

Their house was big and beautiful with a hint of modernization. I didn't want to look useless and weak so I carried my own luggage. Unfortunately, I ended up tripping and before I could fall Dimitri caught me and pulled me against him. His aftershave messed with my thought processes and I wanted nothing but to kiss him senseless.

Viktoria's giggles pulled me from my dazed state as she began to yell something in Russian which made all the other Belikovs laugh. _Great. I just made a fool of myself by staring at Dimitri. I'm pretty sure he thought that I was insane._

Ignoring all of them I made my way upstairs as Dimitri followed closely along with my luggage.

"Where's my room?" I really wanted to freshen up and maybe go for a run. I knew that Dimitri had a business meeting in a few hours and wanted to probably get rid of me so he could get to work.

Dimitri didn't answer me. He simply opened a door to my right and led me in and dropped my luggage in a corner. I went in the washroom to freshen up and to avoid an awkward conversation with Dimitri.

Once inside, I locked the door as I sank to my feet and cried. I missed Adrian so much. He was so much more loving. I missed his kisses and caresses. I missed talking to him, fighting with him, I just wanted him back. I wanted to get married to HIM not Dimitri.

After a long time I got up and looked at my reflection in the mirror. I looked pale and my eyes looked empty.I had dark circles under my eyes as I hadn't slept well for the past few nights. For the first time in my life, I felt all alone. I was a stranger in some stranger's house. I had Viktoria but its not like she would understand what I was going through. I wished Lissa was here. To distract me, comfort me.

Finally I stepped in the shower. I found Dimitri's soap and shampoo and decided to use it. I smelled like him and oddly the smell calmed me and the tears finally stopped. I washed myself under the warm jets of water as they calmed my sobs and massaged m body.

Stepping out of the shower, I wrapped myself in a fluffy towel cursing as I realized that I had forgotten to get m clothes. I walk out of the bathroom and get the shock of my life as I see a tall figure sitting on my bed. I let out a scream which alerts him, he turns around making me feel very stupid when I realize that its only Dimitri.

His eyes travel up and down my body and I begin to blush. _Why am I blushing? I didn't even blush around Adrian._ I disguise my surprise with attitude.

"What are you doing in my room?" I ask sharply.

"Its my house and this is my room" he replies equally harshly.

His eyes move to my face as he takes in my red puffy eyes. Great. Now he probably knows that I was crying in the bathroom.

His face turns regretful almost immediately. His brown eyes become soft and are filled with pity.

"I'm sorry. I'll let you change. We'll have to share a room though, all the others are occupied"

I just nod in reply. I don't want his sympathy and I don't want him to see me as a weak person. I am strong and I hated the way he was looking at me.

He walks out of the room. I close the door behind him as I put on shorts and a T shirt. I dont bother to wear a bra as I'm going to sleep anyway. I open the door for him to come back in. He enters and sits on my bed silently. After a while I sit on the other side of the bed.

"You know you can sleep with Viktoria if you want"

"Am I that untouchable that you can't share a bed with me?" _I was hurt now. Its not like I was that ugly. Did I bother him that much that he couldn't even stand my presence?_

_"_You know that's not what I meant Rose. Anything I say makes things worse" He sighed.

"I'm going to sleep. Don't wake me up for dinner" I buried myself under the blanket so that he couldn't see the tears in my eyes.

He muttered something under his breath and walked out of the door shutting it behind him.

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**How was it? Lemme know in a review or PM me :)**

**I might not be able to update soon. School keeps me busy :/ But I hope you'll are patient :)**


	6. Chapter 6

_**I DO NOT OWN VAMPIRE ACADEMY OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**_

_**I don't know how many of you realized this already but this is actually from an Indian movie...  
**_

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**_DIMITRI POV_**

I didn't ask Rose to sleep separately because I didn't like her. Why did she always have to take the wrong meaning to my words?

"If I had my way, you'd sleep in my arms every night" I said softly under my breath before leaving the room. She didn't want to sleep in the same room as me in Turkey, there was no way that she'd want to sleep in my arms tonight.

I knew she was upset and that she needed her space. She'd lost the two most important men in her life. Sometimes I wished to know how it would have felt if Rose loved me like that instead of Adrian. If her face would light up with joy every time she saw me. I wished that someday there would be a little Dimitri or a little Rose running about in our home.

I hated seeing Rose like that. She was no longer the Rose that I met at the wedding. The Rose with a sassy attitude that I initially fell in love with. Even though she smiled, it never reached her eyes.

I knew that something had been bothering her a lot throughout the trip and that she'd been crying in the bathroom but she wouldn't open up and talk to me. We were like strangers forced to be together. I wanted her to like me but every time I tried, the words would sound wrong as soon as they came out of my mouth just like in the bedroom earlier.

I tried to clear my mind off things and get ready for my meeting with Tasha. I had always admired Tasha, she was a strong woman who stood up for herself. She was also very beautiful with icy blue eyes and long black hair. The scar on her cheek somehow made her even more beautiful. Tasha was one of my closest friends, we had been childhood friends and as we grew up we had become closer and now were business partners.

I walked back in the room silently and showered and dressed in my suit. I saw that Rose was already asleep so I left without a word. The meeting would be long and boring and by the time I returned it would be late night.

I walked down the stairs into the kitchen where my family were getting ready for dinner.

Dinner was a silent affair. Olena and Abe were good friends, he had saved Olena from my abusive father and been the father figure that Viktoria had needed as a child. During her early teens, he had threatened a few of her boyfriends whom he thought were jerks. We were all close to Abe in some way or the other and were going to miss him terribly.

The meeting ended up being long and boring as I expected but it was successful. We had managed to strike a deal with our client and my company would make a huge profit.

Tasha insisted on coming home with me, I hadn't told her about Rose as yet. I didn't know whether Rose wanted me to tell all my friends about how we were engaged.

Tasha and my sister Sonya were close friends and she decided to sleep in her room. I walked back to my room and changed into pajamas.

When I turned around I noticed Rose wasn't actually sleeping. She was tossing and turning around in bed. When I moved closer I could clearly hear her sniffles.

_Rose was crying? Why was I away on business when Rose needed someone to stay with her? Why was she crying?_

_**ROSE POV**_

I don't know how long I tossed and turned in bed struggling to sleep. I thought about calling Lissa but I knew that she would be upset when she realized that I was crying. My voice was hoarse and my eyes were tired and red from crying.

Even though I had so many people surrounding me and telling me that they cared about me, in real I felt that Lissa was the only ones that I could talk to apart from Adrian and my dad. I missed Mason and Eddie too. They were the ones who knew exactly how to make me laugh.

I don't know how long I tossed and turned in bed but I finally fell asleep. I had a nightmare again, it was the same one that had haunted me ever since the wedding.

It wasn't a nightmare actually, it was more of a memory. The day of my wedding would repeat itself over and over again in my sleep. I woke up with tears rolling down my face as I tried to control my sobs.

I didn't realize that someone had entered the room until the bed dipped with the weight of a male. I knew from his aftershave that it was Dimitri. I didn't want him to see me cry. He was being so nice to me already.

Unfortunately for me, he knew I was crying. He switched on the night lamp and lay on the bed beside me.

"Roz- Rose, are you okay? You're crying. What's wrong?" His voice was laced with worry.

His arm went around my waist and the gesture made me feel comforted almost instantly. The feeling of loneliness also dimmed. I turned around and looked into his warm chocolate-brown eyes that held genuine concern in them.

I don't know why, but I suddenly wanted him to hold and comfort me and I wanted to tell him everything.

"What's wrong Rose?" He caressed my cheek and wiped my tears.

"I-I had a nightmare. It was about my wedding day"

"Oh Rose, I'm so sorry. He rubbed soothing circles on my lower back and tried to comfort me.

"Rose, why were you crying earlier? In the bathroom? Did I do something wrong?"

I shook my head. " I feel so lonely, I have nobody left apart from Lissa. I have you for now, but you're forced to be with me. You- You wont leave me, will you?

"Never think that Rose. I'll never leave you, I promise you that. We'll get married in a week, I'll be your family. We'll have a family of our own. You acn have as many dogs as you want. You'll marry me Rose, won't you?"

His comment about dogs made me smile. _How did he know that I loved_ dogs? I nodded and whispered thanks.

He didn't respond, he simply pulled my closer to his chest where I finally fell asleep.

But before I slept,there was a small doubt in my mind. _He wasn't doing this because he promised Abe,was he? Would he go back to his normal self tomorrow?_

_I guess I'd have to wait for tomorrow to know that._

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**Hope you liked this chapter :). It wasn't as sad as the earlier one. **

**Reviews are welcome :D**


	7. Chapter 7

I_** DO NOT OWN VAMPIRE ACADEMY OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**_

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**_DIMITRI POV_**

Holding Rose close to me, I slept better than I had in a long time. Her body felt so soft and warm under mine. The way she snuggled her head into my chest made me feel like I was protecting her from something and I loved the feeling. My mind wandered to yesterday when she came out of the bathroom in only a towel.

Her soft tanned skin and her long legs. I wanted to run my hair through her long wet brown hair. I always had a thing for long hair. She was beautiful and had a body of a Goddess. I remembered how drop of water slid from her neck towards her cleavage. I wanted to follow that drop with my finger tips and then with my tongue.

Almost instantly I felt my pajamas become tighter. I cursed under my breath. She would freak out if she woke up and saw my hard-on. I moved the sheets away careful not to wake her. She was a deep sleeper and didn't stir as I moved her away from my body and got ready to shower and get rid of my not-so-little problem.

I showered and got ready for breakfast. I could smell my mom's cooking as I got dressed. Rose was still sleeping, it was only 8 am so I didn't wake her up. She looked so cute sleeping and when I tried to get my phone which had somehow slipped under her pillow, she pouted like a little kid.

I made my way downstairs where my mom was cooking bilini. I was halfway through my third bilini when Tasha and Sonya entered. Sonya was holding an extremely embarrassing picture of me in which I was waving Sonya or my mom's underwear like a flag. I was only about 2 years and had a look of joy on my face.

Sonya had often blackmailed me with that picture and every time that picture came out, it meant that I was in trouble. I was about to run and snatch it from her hand but she moved her hand away.

"Tasha, should we show this picture of Dimitri to his precious Rose?" my sister began

Tasha's face turned confused. " Who's Rose Dimitri?"

Uh-Oh I should have told Tasha about Rose yesterday. I tried to pretend like it wasn't important. "She's my fiancée, she's currently sleeping upstairs"

"She's you're WHAT?" Tasha screeched. "When did you get engaged and why didn't you tell me"

I dragged her outside the house before she could wake Rose up with all the noise that she was creating.

" I didn't know that I was going to get engaged to her. It was her wedding day and her fiancée and his friends were drunk. They didn't make it to the wedding. Her dad died of shock but he asked me to marry Rose before he died. It was what he wanted, so I couldn't refuse and that's how I got engaged. I'm so sorry, I was so busy that I didn't have time to tell you all this"

Tasha smiled. " You really love her don't you. I can see the way you speak her name. Like she's some precious thing"

" I like her but she doesn't feel the same about me" I then told her what Rose told me the day we got engaged. I remembered her words perfectly. _"Dimitri, I married you because Abe wanted me to and he meant the world to me. I will continue to be married to you only because Abe wanted it. I will be your wife but I will never ever love you. If you wish to leave me, you may go ahead"_

When I finished my story, Tasha was mad. "Just who does she think she is? You're doing so much for her and she doesn't give a damn about your feelings"

I tried to tell Tasha that Rose was just hurt from what had happened to her but I could see that it was of no use.

"Dimitri, I sorry for shouting at you earlier. I should have known that you'd eventually tell me about Rose"

"It's okay Tasha" I smiled at her and kissed her cheek.

"Let's get back before Rose wakes up" I said

_**ROSE POV**_

_****_I woke up to find my bed empty. I frowned as I sat up. I had had the best sleep in days but I was disappointed. I was hoping that he would be here when I woke up. I remembered how he held me against him as we slept last night. He really was very sweet. I now understood why Abe had asked him too marry me.

Dimitri's family was also very welcoming and in a way I was looking forward to getting married to him. Especially after the way he asked me yesterday. A smile replaced my frown thinking of it. I felt warm and mushy all over. _Stop it Rose! You told him that you were never going to love him! Stick to your promise. If he really cared about you, he would be here right now._

__I got out of bed and brushed my teeth. I was very hungery and the smell wafting from downstairs made my stomach rumble.I made my way down but I ended up bumping into Viktoria. She wasn't a morning person I could see.

"Where's Dimitri?" I asked her. I wanted to talk to him about yesterday and ask him if he really meant that he wanted to marry me and that he wouldn't leave me.

"He's outside with scar-face" She grumbled

_Scar-Face?_ This house was weird.

I walked out side to see something that I hadn't expected. Dimitri was kissing this black haired chick on her cheek. Even from a distance I could see that she was beautiful. I heard him say something about getting inside before I woke up.

Hiding my tears, I ran back into my room and shut the door behind me.

_He hates me because he's forced to marry me when he loves that chick. I should have known, a man that good-looking should have already met somebody._

__I wiped my tears and returned to the dining room before anyone came to look for me. It wasn't Olena's and Dimitri's sisters fault that he didn't love me. I wouldn't take out my anger on them.

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**LOL auto-correct changed my bilini into bikini two times :'D I bet Dimitri would enjoy Rose in a bikini more than his bilini ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

I_** DO NOT OWN VAMPIRE ACADEMY OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**_

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_Hiding my tears, I ran back into my room and shut the door behind me._

_He hates me because he's forced to marry me when he loves that chick. I should have known, a man that good-looking should have already met somebody._

_I wiped my tears and returned to the dining room before anyone came to look for me. It wasn't Olena's and Dimitri's sisters fault that he didn't love me. I wouldn't take out my anger on them._

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**_D POV_**

Tasha continued to tease me about the photo Sonya had shown her as we walked back inside. I really hoped that neither of them would show it to my Roza. _My Roza, I liked how it sounded._

After last night I knew that Rose and I would talk more and be more open. I found her at the table as she poured syrup over her bilini. I generally ate mine with sour cream. Rose's eating habits were weird. Once we were married I would have to convince her to change them.

I smiled at the thought of us married living in our home in Montana. I got really lonely in the mansion and my friend Ivan would often come and live with me but with Rose, I would have more company. I didn't know how I got so lucky, I still remember how hopeful her eyes were when she asked me whether I would be there for her and never leave her.

I watched as she cut a piece of the bilini and placed it in her mouth and moaned loudly. Realizing how loud she was she blushed and continued eating silently. _God, the effect this woman has on me._ I slid into the seat beside her and wrapped my arm around her waist. She immediately pushed my arm away and threw me a cold look.

Seriously? One night she snuggles up to me and sleeps and the next day she pushes me away? What is wrong with her?

I hated myself sometimes. Why did I love her so much and why did I try so hard to please her? She clearly didn't want me. I was just a stranger to her. If she wanted me to be a stranger, that's what I would be to her. A stranger.

I decided to leave her and make a few calls. I called Ivan back in Montana and told me that there was an important meeting that was going to be held in three weeks in Montana and that I had to be there by then. That meant I would have to finish the wedding by next week or I would be too busy.

By then Rose had finished her breakfast so I told her that we'd have to prepone the wedding. She simply nodded and gave me one word answers to all my questions. I was so frustrated by her behavior. My sisters and my mother were excited with the news and began to plan out the wedding with Rose.

Rose was going to wear my mother's dress and the tailor would alter it to her size. It was an elegant lace covered dress with sleeves and a V-neckline. I had always thought that my mother looked beautiful in that dress. My sister Viktoria helped her shop for heels and all the other things she would need.

In a way I was glad that Viktoria and Rose got along so well. She would keep Rose company when I wasn't around.

_**ROSE POV**_

He had the nerve to put his arms around me after he kissed that scar-faced bitch? I didn't want to be cheated on. I was hurt but I didn't want to show him so I simply ignored him.

After breakfast, he came up to me and said that we'd have to prepone the wedding. Why was he so eager to marry me when he wanted Tasha? I didn't get him sometimes. He would hold me close and be sweet to me and the next thing I see is him kissing some woman. I really needed a distraction from him and thankfully that's exactly what I got.

The entire morning was spent in running around and getting things ready for a wedding on such short notice. I didn't invite Lissa as I didn't want her to take the trouble plus a big part of me was afraid that my second wedding wold go in the same direction as my first. I really didn't want anybody else to get hurt because of me.

After we shopped for shoes Viktoria dragged me up to her room to show me a few things. She took out this really old album and showed me some pictures of Dimitri when he was younger. She showed pictures of him from college and he looked so HOT in all of them. There were quite a few pictures with this blond guy called Ivan. There were also lots of pictures of him and the scar-faced chick.

I stared at a picture in which he was giving her a piggy-back ride. He looked so happy and care-free. I was jealous, she was beautiful and she had Dimitri's heart.

I decided to ask Viktoria whether she was his girlfriend. "Um Viktoria, was that scar-faced chick Dimitri's girlfriend in college?"

"Who? Tasha?" Then she burst out laughing like there was some joke I was missing " Tasha and Dimitri will always be friends and nothing more"

I felt stupid at that. I was simply suspecting Dimitri for something he hadn't done. I felt like a total bitch.

Dimitri came knocking at the door at that moment and asked me if I wanted to go out on a drive with him. He was so nice to me even after I was a bitch to him. I gave him a genuine smile this time.

"Hold on, I'll just get ready"

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**Give me 10 reviews and I'll update tomorrow :)**

** Or else next week...**


	9. Chapter 9

I_** DO NOT OWN VAMPIRE ACADEMY OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**_

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_**D POV**_

I wanted to know why Rose was suddenly angry with me but I wouldn't get to talk to her alone with my family around. Maybe I could get her to come with me for a drive and then ask her why she was pissed at me.

I knew she was in Viktoria's room. I knocked on her door and entered. Viktoria and Rose were going through some of my old photos. _Oh lord, I better get her away from here. _My sisters had quite a few embarrassing pictures of me and in no case did I want the girl of my dreams seeing them. I had suffered enough embarrassment from my sisters and I didn't need Rose to join them and make things worse.

I decided to ask her now before I chickened out. "Rose, do you want to go for a drive? I could take you around Siberia" _Please say yes, please say yes. _

"Yeah, just let me get dressed" She then gave me a smile that took my breath away and I could see that it was a genuine one. I wanted to drag her out before she changed her mind. She looked beautiful in whatever she wore.

I gave her time to change and I decided to clean myself a bit too. I hadn't dressed up for a woman in ages and I was nervous. I didn't usually have to go out of my way to get woman back in Montana. Most women would throw themselves at me but Rose was different. I wished Ivan was here to help me, he knew so much about girls.

I showered and shaved and then I put a little more aftershave because I had heard that women liked it. Going through my cupboard, I chose a black button down shirt and blue jeans. I walked to Viktoria's room. Viktoria loved dressing people up and I knew she would be doing something similar to Rose. Rose was ready to go and she looked beautiful. I would have a hard time trying to talk to her without staring. Her long brown hair was loose and I had an urge to tangle my fingers in it. I smiled and extended my hand towards her, she seemed hesitant but then reached out and held it. The skin of her hand was soft and smooth and seemed so fragile.

We got to my black Corvette that was parked in the garage. I didn't usually take it out very often. I always thought it was too flashy but I wanted to impress Rose so I was trying my best. I looked at her and I saw a hopeful expression on her face.

"Can I drive? Pleease?" I had to laugh at her expression. She looked so adorable.

"You don't know the directions." She pouted but she was too excited to be glum. She slid in the seat beside me as we sped away.

_**ROSE POV**  
_

The moment Dimitri left the room, I saw a famaliar expression on Viktoria's face. Uh-Oh. I'd seen that expression on Lissa's face when she wanted me to be her guinea-pig. "Viktoria, you are not going to try anything on me"**  
**

"Please Rose, Dimitri always brings crappy girlfriends home and the last time he brought a girl was a year ago and she wasn't as nice as you are. Plus Sonya and Karolina never let me dress them up. I promise I'll make you look fabulous." I couldn't resist those brown puppy-dog eyes and I finally caved in. She forced me into floral cocktail dress with a blue cardigan and blue flats. She then curled my hair into soft waves and did my makeup. When I opened my eyes I couldn't deny the fact that I looked amazing. I applied a bit of my favorite strawberry lip gloss. Dimitri entered five minutes later and offered me his hand.

I was hesitant. I didn't know whether he was still mad at me because of my behavior earlier and Dimitri and I usually avoided all forms of contact.

I took his hand as he led me to the garage. He pulled me to a car and my breath caught. _NO way. He wasn't taking me in THAT car. _I so badly wanted to drive.

"Can I drive? Pleease?" He just laughed and refused saying that I didn't know the directions. I pouted but I was far too exited and I slid into the seat beside him. Once inside the closed area his scent hit me like a rock.

It was the same smell that I woke up to this morning, only stronger. I don't know why, I just wanted to jump on him but that would be weird. We drove to this coffee shop in silence but it wasn't awkward.

He asked me if I was hungry and as if on cu my stomach rumbled. We sat and made small talk as Dimitri ordered us coffee and doughnuts. _How did he know that I loved chocolate doughnuts?_ After we had finished the coffee and doughnuts he showed me around a bit before driving to this really beautiful lake which was known as Lake Baikal.

We walked near the water as he held my hand. The view was beautiful and took my breath away. After quite some time he began to speak.

"Why were you angry at me this morning?" I knew that he would ask me something like this, I should have seen it coming.

"I was upset when I woke up alone this morning. I thought you'd be next to me after last night and when you weren't there I thought that you didn't want to be around me" I said

He cupped my face in his hands "I'm sorry for not being there this morning. I usually wake up early and you looked so peaceful that I didn't want to wake you up"

He then leaned towards me. I thought he was going to kiss me, his lips only inches from mine but at the last moment he changed his direction and kiseed my cheek instead. His lips were warm and soft and sent an electric shock through my body. I shivered in pleasure but he thought I was cold. He pulled away and draped his jacket around my shoulders.

He took my hand again and we walked towards the car. I had known him only for a short while but I knew that if I lost him now, I would be shattered.

It was silent in the car as we drove back home. "Can I ask you to do something for me?"

"Whatever you want."

"Please don't have a bachelor party before the wedding. After Adrian, I don't think it's a good idea" My voice broke towards the end.

"I won't. I won't leave your side" He pulled me into a hug and we stayed like that for a while. He kissed my forehead and we walked back into the house.

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Lots of Dimitri and Rose in this chapter :D

Review!


	10. Chapter 11

**I DO NOT OWN VAMPIRE ACADEMY**

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That night, the Belikov's had guests over. Oksana and Mark, Olena's friends came over and Dimitri's elder sister Karolina had come over. Karolina had an adorable son named Paul and a shy daughter named Zoya. Dimitri and I had never talked about having kids but with Adrian I had always wished to have a house full of children.

Paul was adorable and had a HUGE crush on me according to Viktoria and even fought with Dimitri to sit next to me. At the end of the meal, he kissed my cheek and told me that I was beautiful and I had a feeling that Viktoria had put him up to it.

I caught Dimitri glaring at the little kid and couldn't help but laugh but his eyes had a cruel gleam in them. Right after Paul kissed me, Dimitri stood up and introduced me as his fiancée. He seemed so over-possessive of me and he was actually fighting with a 10 year old over me.

I felt sorry for Paul who looked like his world had been shattered and his ears turned red when Dimitri kissed my other cheek. In a way, I liked his jealous side. It was the only time when he would pay attention to me.

That night I hoped that Dimitri would hold me till I fell asleep and it wasn't because I was upset or crying but because a part of me liked it. At the same time a part of me was still jealous. He had so many picture of Tasha on his phone, he hung around her all the time and he even hand a picture of her on his bedside table.

I had no right to think about him like that because I myself had lots of pictures of Adrian and most of them were pictures of him kissing me or hugging me. I still hadn't gotten rid of our wedding rings; Adrian's parents had said that I was the best one to decide on what to do with them.

Besides, Viktoria had said that I had nothing to worry about Tasha. I had a feeling that she was hiding something big from me but there was nothing I could do to get her to spill.

I lay for a long while thinking about everything from our wedding to Tasha. I could hear Dimitri's uneven breathing and could feel him toss and turn. Just before I could fall into deep slumber, I head him sigh and turn towards me. Since I had my face away from him, he couldn't see that I wasn't asleep yet. He slipped his arm around my waist and nuzzled his face in my neck being careful not to wake me. He placed a light kiss on my neck and soon after I heard his breathing even out and he was asleep.

By the time I woke up, it was 10 am and I was awake because Paul was laughing and jumping on my bed. He was a miniature Dimitri but there was a small difference- he never laughed let alone smiled when I was around. I couldn't help but feel that Dimitri went to these meetings just to meet Tasha. I was jealous how she could make him laugh.

Paul pulled me out of my daze. " Auntie Roza! Wake up! Wake up!" He then slipped under the covers and snuggled up to me and began to giggle. There was no way I could sleep with his giggling so I woke up and began to tickle him. His laughter was contagious and I found myself laughing along with him.

The din created by us brought Viktoria and Karolina to the room. They dragged me out saying that I had a lot to do today. Olena bailed me out by saying that Viktoria would handle the wedding and that I could stay with her and learn to cook some of Dimitri's favourite Russian foods. I really wanted to impress him and be able to do something that Tasha couldn't. I helped her cook some black bread and when I tasted it, it tasted AMAZING! I could totally understand why Dimitri loved it!

**A WEEK LATER**

It was the day of my wedding. _Again._ It was odd, just 3 weeks ago, I was getting married and now I was getting married again. I didn't tell Lissa about it. I wanted it to be a small affair with just Dimitri and his family. I didn't want the big wedding that I had wanted with Adrian.

Our wedding was a traditional one and was held in a small church. There was a part when the priest asked us whether we were getting married on our own free will. Just as those words came out of his mouth, Dimitri tensed. We had never spoken about this part of the wedding and I could tell he was nervous. After all this while did he really think that I felt the same way that I felt in the hospital room?

I didn't hesitate and my response was final. I would marry Dimitri. I wasn't sure about it and there was the fact that I still hadn't gotten rid of Adrian's ring. I had no idea why I was holding on to it.

The priest continued with the prayers and placed crowns on our heads and we were to share a cup of wine. After this ceremony, there was another ceremony where Dimitri and I exchanged our rings. Viktoria and I had gone ring shopping and had selected a three band ring- the traditional Russian ring. I admired the ring on my finger. It was beautiful and had something carved in Russian on the inside. I decided to ask Dimitri about sometime later.

Dimitri then took us for a tour around Siberia. Dimitri had said that he had rented a lakeside house for our honeymoon and that we would be leaving in 5 days for Montana. I was excited about the Montana part but nervous about the honeymoon.

I didn't know if Dimitri expected us to have sex and I felt really guilty because I wasn't sure about my feelings towards Dimitri and a part of me felt like I was betraying Adrian, cheating on hima nd it made me feel disgusted with myself.


	11. Chapter 12

**I DO NOT OWN VAMPIRE ACADEMY**

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Dimitri had booked a really beautiful lake house for us. It was big and spacious and had 3 bedrooms. It overlooked the lake and the view was breathtaking. By the time we arrived it was dark and I was quite tired to be honest I was nervous. I had never been completely alone with Dimitri. It was either Lissa or his family that kept me company when he was around.

I was extremely sleepy so I decided to take a shower instead. I took the nearest bedroom and grabbed my clothes and entered the shower. I didn't want to repeat the incident that happened in Dimitri's house although Dimitri and I wouldn't be sharing a room. At least I hoped that we wouldn't have to share one. It would be awkward and uncomfortable. Plus it still felt weird for me to say that I was married to him. I barely knew the man and I had prepared myself to get married to Adrian. I still loved Adrian and I felt like I was betraying him by being happy with Dimitri. I was supposed to be upset about his death.

But another part of me really liked Dimitri. He was nice and kind. He had been nothing but nice to since the beginning. I thought about this as I showered and washed my hair. We were more or less civil to each other now and we fought a lot less. I didn't like fighting with him because he was the only family I had apart from Lissa. I applied conditioner and rinsed it off. My hair smelled clean like strawberries. I dressed quickly and walked back in the bedroom. It was empty thankfully. I went and sat on the bed and to my dismay Dimitri entered with his luggage.

He might have noticed my hesitation to share the room with him. I mean there were more than enough rooms in the house,he didn't have to share a room with me now. He sat on the other side of the bed after dropping our luggage. He rested his hand on the bed on top of mine and without thinking I pulled my hand from underneath his. Hurt flashed across his face but he decided to cover it with anger.

"I didn't know I was so repulsive that you can't even hold my hand. I thought that you would accept me at least after our marriage."

I knew what I was doing was wrong. How long did I really expect Dimitri to wait for me? For all I knew, he would grow sick of me and leave me just like Adrian did. " I'm really sorry I don't mean to do that. It just feels so weird to me because I always thought I would be married to Adrian."

He didn't reply, he just went over to his luggage and picked his duffel bag up.

" I'll take the next room. If you need anything call me" I didn't want to be completely alone either. The nightmares would come again and I wouldn't be able to sleep all night.

" I'm really sorry Dimitri. Please, Please stay." I think the desperation in my voice changed his mind because he dropped his bag and sat on the other side of the bed, only this time he didn't hold my hand.

I reached forward and held his hand. He was willing to stay for me, the least I could do was be nice to him. He looked down at our joined hands and smiled.

"Thank you. I'm sorry for getting angry at you. It must be uncomfortable for you to be around me especially because our marriage was so sudden. We don't have to do anything you don't want to. I'm willing to wait, we can just get to know each other like normal people. This marriage will be easier for both of us that way."

_Why was he so nice to me? It made me feel worse about my behavior towards him. Why couldn't I love him? _A part of me knew the reason why I didn't feel anything towards him. Every time I looked at him, it reminded me of what had happened a few weeks ago. It reminded me that I was an orphan and that I had no family and if I wasn't nice to him, he too would leave me. He didn't really care about me, it was just some promise he made to my dad. And the second reason was that I didn't want to get hurt again. I didn't want to become too close to him and then lose him. I wasn't sure if there was anything between him and Tasha and I was scared of getting hurt if he chose her over me.

That night he didn't try and touch me and for that I was grateful. We just talked about his friends, his life back in Montana, his favorite food and about his business. In return I told him about how Lissa and I met in kindergarten and how I threw a book at our teacher for trying to teach us spelling. He laughed at my story and asked me how I met Adrian. He was nice company and the silence between us wasn't awkward.

The next morning I woke up late but it was no surprise. I walked into the kitchen where I could smell food being cooked. It smelt amazing and I found it funny that someone as masculine as Dimitri could cook. He noticed me when I sat on the counter and watched him cook. He smiled and me and I could see that he had already showered because his hair that he always kept tied in his ponytail was slightly wet.

Once the bacon was done, he fried two eggs and put them on a plate and set it on the dining table along with a glass of juice.

" You must be hungry, I already ate earlier and I was just waiting for you to wake up" I thanked him and began gobbling my food. I was really hungry but it wasn't like it was something new.

"What are we going to do today?" I asked him. " Whatever you want" he replied.

The weather outside was beautiful. " We could go picnicking if you want"

"Fine we'll go whenever you're ready"

By the time I finished he had already packed food and a picnic mat for us to sit on. I wore a swimming costume under my clothes because he told me that we could wade in the water. WE walked to our spot and sat on the mat. We talked and got to know each other like normal people. We also splashed around in the water. We had lunch and saw the sun set later. He didn't try to make me do anything I didn't feel like and I was glad for that. He had also packed doughnuts for me because I liked them.

I managed to make him smile quite a few times and his smile was breathtaking. He was beautiful and I couldn't understand why he agreed to my father's request. There had to be some reason behind why he would do that. He could have had all the girls he wanted and yet he agreed to take me. I was curvy, not skinny and had boring brown hair and eyes. Hell he could have said no to my father and had Tasha instead.

He kept me busy all day and by the time we went back home I was so exhausted that the only thing on my mind was sleep. He made us pasta for dinner when we went back and it was delicious. He cooked so much better than me and I was glad that he didn't expect me to cook dinner for him.

The next few days flew by as Dimitri kept me busy. We would go lake diving or touring Moscow or he would try and teach me bits of Russian. We got to know each other over the past few days and I realized that he disliked almost everything I liked from music to food yet we got along. He told me that he loved kids and that probably was the only thing we had in common.

We were leaving for Montana in a week and I wasn't feeling very well. I had a bad cold and it was probably because of all the swimming. I stayed in bed all day and Dimitri looked after me and brought me breakfast and lunch in bed. Around evening time, I was extremely bored so Dimitri rented a DVD. It was a movie about the zombie apocalypse and actually held no interest to me. What interested me more was the man next to me. all I wanted to do was pull his head down and kiss him. I had a feeling that he wanted to do the same timing. He leaned towards my lips and before he could kiss be, I moved my face so that he got my cheek and some of my hair.

"I've got germs" was my lame effort at covering it up but the real reason was that before he could kiss me, Adrian's green eyes had popped into my head and I couldn't kiss Dimitri because it felt so wrong.

I got up and ran into the bathroom because I didn't want to face Dimitri. All the memories of Adrian assaulted me and it hurt so bad to think about him. Tears were streaming down from my cheeks as I reached for my razor to end the pain. I made a neat cut on my wrist, it wasn't too deep. Just then Dimitri burst into the room and looked at the cut. He grabbed a wet cloth and began to clean and bandage the wound. After he was done he pulled me into his arms.

"We're going to Montana tomorrow. You need Lissa" His voice was firm and final and I wasn't going to argue because I really wanted Lissa

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How was it? Don't hate me for ruining Dimitri's and Rose's kiss. They aren't supposed to like each other yet.

Review?


	12. Chapter 13

**I DO NOT OWN VAMPIRE ACADEMY**

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**I got up and ran into the bathroom because I didn't want to face Dimitri. All the memories of Adrian assaulted me and it hurt so bad to think about him. Tears were streaming down from my cheeks as I reached for my razor to end the pain. I made a neat cut on my wrist, it wasn't too deep. Just then Dimitri burst into the room and looked at the cut. He grabbed a wet cloth and began to clean and bandage the wound. After he was done he pulled me into his arms.**

**"We're going to Montana tomorrow. You need Lissa" His voice was firm and final and I wasn't going to argue because I really wanted Lissa**

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_**ROSE POV**_

The next day we were busy as we packed and cleaned and got ready to leave. I had more to clean as I was a messy person and my things were all over the place. Since I had left most of my luggage at Dimitri's house, I didn't have much to pack as Viktoria had agreed to pack it for me.

Olena was upset that we were leaving so early when we went to visit them but Dimitri made up some business related excuse which she believed. We bade farewell to the rest of his sisters and his grandmother. I had a feeling that his grandmother didn't like me because her behavior said it all but when she said goodbye to Dimitri, I could see that she really loved him.

On our way to the airport, Dimitri noticed how I tried to cover my wrists by keeping my hands on my lap and my palms facing downwards. I had forgotten to wear a full sleeved shirt and I didn't want people to stare or their sympathy. We were nowhere near the airport when Dimitri stopped driving. We were in some sort of market place and it was really crowded. I was about to question Dimitri but he cut me off by saying that I should follow him.

He asked me to look around for a bit and said that he'd be back in a while.

_**D POV**_

I was taking Rose back to Montana. She needed to be open and talk to someone about everything and as much as it hurt me I had to accept that Rose didn't trust me enough to talk to me. The only person that I thought could help Rose was Lissa. I knew her parents before their death and I had met Lissa before.

She was probably the best person to be around Roza because she had been in the same position when her parents died. Roza was silent throughout the drive to the airport and I could see that she was trying to cover up the cuts. She didn't like the way people looked at her because of the cuts. I decided to take a longer route as an idea popped into my head.

I stopped at the market square and I asked her to look around for a while and I told her that I'd be back soon. I walked leaving her behind and I entered a traditional Russian scarf shop. The scarves were beautiful and I hoped that she would like it. I picked up a small scarf that would go with the dress she was currently wearing.

I was returning back to the place where I left her when I passed by an antique jewelery store. There was a bangle on display that caught my eye. It was a gold bangle-bracelet with a Siberian amethyst in the center and small diamonds all around it. It was beautiful and I knew that it would look perfect on her hand.

I went in and purchased quickly. I didn't know how I would get her to accept the bracelet but I thought that I'd come up with a plan later. I found Rose looking at some traditional Russian dolls. I bought her one even though she protested at first but I could see that she liked it. Once we got back into the car, I pulled her hand onto my lap careful not to touch her wrist. I carefully tied the scarf around her wrist so that it looked more like an accessory rather than something that was covering her wrist.

When I looked back into her eyes I spied tears and she gave me one of the best smiles-no THE best smile I had ever seen. She leaned and kissed my cheek and whispered thanks. Somehow, seeing her happy made me happy. I told her it was no big deal and continued to drive as my cheek tingled where she kissed me.

I made sure to hide the bracelet from her because I wanted to wait and surprise her. Once we had boarded the plane, Roza began to grow sleepy and fell asleep in her seat.

**_ROSE POV_**

Why did Dimitri leave me alone in the market place? He knew that I couldn't speak Russian. What was the point of leaving me alone here? And what work did he have that I couldn't come along with him?

I wandered around a bit feeling really out of place. I saw a shop that sold dolls. I really wanted to buy one for Lissa but I didn't have the money and I didn't speak Russian. Out of nowhere Dimitri appeared and bought the doll for me. I was surprised that he wasn't mad at me after last night. Especially when I had rudely pushed him away from me.

When we got back to the car, Dimitri pulled my hand onto his lap and tied a beautiful silk scarf around my wrist. The silk was soft and smooth and didn't put pressure on the cut. It was beautiful and went along with my dress.

Tears sprang to my eyes from nowhere. Nobody had been so thoughtful and apart from Abe, nobody had cared so much for me- not even Adrian. I leaned forward and kissed his cheek lightly and thanked him. He pretended like it wasn't something big but he had no idea about how much it really meant to me.

Once we were settled in our seats on the aircraft, I fell into deep slumber as exhaustion took over the last thought in my head being how excited I was to be back with Lissa and the rest of my friends in Montana.

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**Give me 12 reviews and the next chapter will be up :)**


	13. Chapter 14

**I DO NOT OWN VAMPIRE ACADEMY**

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**Tears sprang to my eyes from nowhere. Nobody had been so thoughtful and apart from Abe, nobody had cared so much for me- not even Adrian. I leaned forward and kissed his cheek lightly and thanked him. He pretended like it wasn't something big but he had no idea about how much it really meant to me.**

**Once we were settled in our seats on the aircraft, I fell into deep slumber as exhaustion took over the last thought in my head being how excited I was to be back with Lissa and the rest of my friends in Montana.**

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**_Rose POV_**

The journey to Montana was long and boring. I kept drifting in and out of sleep because there really wasn't anything else for me to do and the in-flight movies were all in Russian. I should really learn how to speak the language if I was going to be around A Russian all the time.

After boring hours, we landed in Montana. Lissa was coming to pick us up and I was glad because I really missed her. The moment we grabbed our luggage and were out, I saw Lissa's super-excited face along with Christian's annoyed face. There was another blond guy standing next to Lissa and my- he was hot! Nothing compared to Dimitri, but he was extremely good looking. From the photos Viktoria had showed me, I recognised him as Ivan.

Dimitri seemed really happy to see him as they spoke rapidly in Russian. I was really hungry so I walked off to the nearest doughnut shop. By the time I returned, I saw Lissa's worried face as Dimitri told her something. I knew that it had something to do with the cuts on my hand.

Ugh. Why did he have to tell Lissa that? One of the main reasons I was using the scarf to cover my wrist was that I didn't want Lissa to see the cut and then worry about it. Christian drove us to Dimitri's house and it was HUGE. It was an expensive mansion and it had some twenty rooms in it. I knew he was rich, but this wasn't something I expected. There was also something else that I noticed. Apart from the butler and housekeeper, his house was empty. I wondered how he lived all alone with nobody but Ivan around. Ivan was staying over in one of Dimitri's spare rooms. I was exploring the house when I heard Ivan shout at Dimitri.

"What? You're married to _her_? And you didn't feel the need to invite me or tell me about it? Dude, you didn't even call me for your bachelor party " Ivan shouted at Dimitri.

I wondered what he meant when he said that Dimitri agreed to marry me. Was Dimitri getting better proposals than me before he married me? I bet Dimitri had beautiful blondes all over him before I was here but I really hoped they would stay away from my man. Even though I wasn't very nice to him, I didn't want someone else sharing what belonged to me.

I couldn't hear Dimitri's reply but Ivan's next words removed my doubts.

"You're a real lucky bastard. I wish I found someone like her. She's beautiful and I wonder why she agreed to marry a loner like you and I'm pretty sure that it wasn't for the money"

Dimitri was about to explain our marriage to Ivan when I burst into the room and interrupted their conversation. I sent a warning look towards Dimitri. I then made up some story about how he met me at the wedding he was attending and decided to marry me on short notice. I doubted that Ivan believed my story but I didn't want all of Dimitri's friends to pity me or treat me differently.

To make my story more believable, I made sure that Dimitri and I shared a room. I wanted his company and I wanted to try and make this marriage work. The next morning I woke up late as usual and Dimitri was gone. It wasn't really a surprise.

I walked into the kitchen and saw that he had already made breakfast for me. There was a red rose near my plate and a note that said that he was sorry and that I should eat breakfast and relax for a while.

**Two weeks later.**

I hated living with Dimitri. I was so lonely all the time because he was always busy at work. He always dragged me off to some boring parties where rich people would gossip about us. In public, he pretended to be madly in love with me and for that I was thankful.

I spent a lot of time with Lissa though and helped her plan some masquerade ball that she kept talking about. Lissa said that she had some important news to announce but she wouldn't tell me yet.

I had a feeling that Sparky had proposed to Lissa and that was her secret. I was happy for her because she deserved it after her parents death.

I was bored around the huge mansion. Dimitri felt that I shouldn't work. Dimitri thought that it was unsafe and that I should have a bodyguard or something. Plus everyone knew about our marriage and he said that if I went around alone, people would spread rumours about us and he was right.

He would take me out a lot of times and try to keep me entertained but it wasn't enough. There were a lot of things that I had to get used to. Bouncers at clubs would let me enter easily and I could see fear in their eyes because Dimitri was a powerful man.

Men at clubs would approach me but all the nice guys would go away when they say that I was married. Andre, Lissa's brother was one of the people who kept me company and stayed with me at all times.

Mia, Lissa, Camille and I would go shopping but it didn't really hold that much of my interest anymore. There wasn't anyone to dress up for in my life anymore and so I didn't see the point in shopping for clothes.

All the while, I missed how Adrian would flirt with me and tell me that I was beautiful. Sometimes when I was alone, I pretended that he was with me and that he wasn't dead.

When I would wake up early in the mornings and Dimitri was asleep, I would put a picture of Adrian in front of me on the dressing table and tell him that I loved him.

Today was another one of those dull days where I had nothing to do. I called Lissa and she said that there was an event tonight where important businessmen would be present and that Dimitri had an important deal to sign. It didn't really hold my interest.

I was ready and waiting for Dimitri to show up when a wave of loneliness hit me again. I took out Adrian's ring and replaced it with Dimitri's ring and went through all the pictures of Adrian and I when we were together. I pretended like I was waiting for Adrian and that he was late to pick me up for a date.

When Dimitri finally arrived, I quickly hid all of Adrian's pictures and grabbed my clutch bag. Just before we were about to leave, Dimitri caught my hand and frowned.

Shit. I had forgotten to put Dimitri's ring back on my finger. When I looked back at Dimitri's face, his jaw was clenched and his face was wiped off any emotion. He was back with his guarded mask and I knew that he was mad at me.


	14. Chapter 15

**I DO NOT OWN VAMPIRE ACADEMY**

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**When Dimitri finally arrived, I quickly hid all of Adrian's pictures and grabbed my clutch bag. Just before we were about to leave, Dimitri caught my hand and frowned.**

**Shit. I had forgotten to put Dimitri's ring back on my finger. When I looked back at Dimitri's face, his jaw was clenched and his face was wiped off any emotion. He was back with his guarded mask and I knew that he was mad at me.**

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**_Rose POV_**

He basically ignored me the entire ride. I know I had made a mistake but he could vent his anger at me or shout at me instead of hiding behind his mask. He wanted me to open up, but come to think of it, it's not like he spoke to me about himself or about his life before we got married. I know I was wrong but I was trying to change. He wasn't around me anymore to help me forget Adrian. Lissa's brother Andre kept me company half the time. Even when he was around, we went to some fancy restaurant for dinner and had one word conversations. If he wanted to live like that he shouldn't have married me.

I wanted to make things better, but every time I looked at him, I saw the man who I married only because my dad wanted at. I knew he made an effort to get to know me but it wasn't enough. He was married to his work instead of me. I didn't want to live like this but I decided to take the first step. I would change first and then expect him to change.

I promised myself that no matter how hard it was for me to leave Adrian, I was going to do it. He wasn't coming back. He would just be a memory of something that could have happened but wasn't going to happen anymore. I vowed that when I was alone and Dimitri wasn't around, I would remove all the pictures of Adrian and pack them away. I still hadn't visited the apartment that we shared in Chicago because I knew that I had to sell it off and if I sold it off I knew that it would mean that he never existed. I would send all the pictures of Adrian to his sister Shelly along with the engagement and wedding rings. Shelly never really liked the fact that Adrian and I were together and I hope that she was happy now.

No matter what I did to grab Dimitri's attention that night, he completely ignored me like I never existed. He was the one who promised me that he wouldn't leave me in Russia and now he was going back on his words? What happened to the man I married in Russia? The man who tried everything to make me happy? Was it just a show in front of his family? Thankfully Lissa and Andre were there too and tried their best to distract me from my Dimitri problems. I couldn't help but notice a beautiful blonde who stayed by his arm all night. She laughed at everything he said and I couldn't say that her laugh was annoying because it was actually a very pleasant sound.

I knew that a lot of women were behind Dimitri but I thought that the fact that he was married would change their attitude. I was surprised to see another person at the other end of the room. Tasha. I was about to tell Lissa about Lissa that I thought that Tasha and Dimitri had an affair when Tasha walked over to Lissa and hugged her. I was shocked. Lissa knew the woman that my husband could possibly be in love with? Lissa introduced Tasha as Christian's aunt. How could I tell Lissa what I thought about Tasha when she was her boyfriend's aunt.

Tasha was nicer to me than she was in Russia and I wondered what brought about the change in her attitude. I also noticed that she kept shooting jealous glares at Dimitri throughout the night which made me even more suspicious about her and Dimitri. If looks could kill, I'm sure the blonde by Dimitri's side would be dead by now. A lot of people surrounded Dimitri and I heard one of them ask whether the blonde was his wife. To my relief Dimitri didn't ignore me then, and pulled me by to his side and introduced me to some of the people. Just because I was angry at Dimitri didn't mean I would ruin his reputation. I was perfectly polite to the guests and then Dimitri introduced the blonde as Sydney. She was his new secretary according to him. I could almost see Tasha's head blow over and I couldn't imagine why she was so jealous. Maybe there was nothing between him and Sydney I tried to tell myself but I knew that I was lying to myself.

He came home late and was at work all the time and had a hot secretary like Sydney. It made it so much more difficult for me to believe that he wasn't cheating on me. The whole night was miserable as Andre fed me more and more champagne till I was so drunk that I would giggle at anything. By the time Dimitri dragged me off to his house, I was dead tired. He tucked me into bed and when I asked him where he was going, he didn't respond. He simply shut the door behind him and left. I was too tired to talk and I fell asleep.

**Dimirti POV**

When I saw the ring on her finger, I could feel my heat break all over again. What was I doing wrong that she didn't like me? I was trying so hard to get her to like me but nothing was working. Was it really a good idea for us to stay married?

How could I expect Rose to be honest with me when there were so many things I was hiding from her. Yeva was right, I shouldn't let Rose go and that I should tell her the truth already. She thought that I hid behind my mask and she was right. I was scared of getting hurt again. Rose had the power to hurt me just like someone else had hurt me 4 years ago. And Rose could hurt me worse than anyone else could because I had fallen for Rose in the worst way. I couldn't leave her even if I wanted to.

I didn't share the room with Rose that night. At work, Ivan spotted that I was upset.

"Hey man, what's wrong? You look sick"

"I'm not sick, I'm in love" I had told Ivan the truth behind our marriage even though I knew that Rose didn't want him to know.

Ivan looked shocked. "Who?"

"My wife." I replied. Ivan burst out laughing. I had this urge to punch him. When he realized that I was serious he stopped.

"She's your wife, you've given her everything that a woman could want. Hell you've given her more than that. You're trying too hard,leave her for sometime, she'll value you when you're not around her all the time"

Maybe Ivan was right. I was trying too hard to get Rose to like me. I would back off. When I got home, Rose wasn't around. She was probably with Andre again and I was jealous. I knew that she liked him more than me. I waled into the room that we shared and took out all my things from the closet. If she wanted distance, then she would get distance. I knew it would be difficult for me to ignore her but I had to do it. She couldn't treat me like trash all the time.

_**Rose**_** POV**

When I came back from my outing with Andre, I noticed that my room looked more empty than ever. I opened the closet and found all his things gone. _He left me._ Just then I noticed that there was a paper on my bed. I was a note saying that he was at Ivan's place and that he had moved his things to the spare bedroom. Just when I decide to try and fix things he decides to shut me out. I wouldn't back down though, I would prove to him that i wasn't a broken girl anymore. I was strong and I wouldn't let some blonde secretary steal my husband.

I took out all the pictures of Adrian and me and burned them. The rings and the rest of the pictures, I packed and sent to his sister. I decided to dress up and make dinner that night. I shopped and brought all the things I would need to make Beef Stroganoff. Olena had taught me to make it. I also made some Russian apple pie and then waited for Dimitri to arrive.


	15. Chapter 16

**I DO NOT OWN VAMPIRE ACADEMY**

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I took out all the pictures of Adrian and me and burned them. The rings and the rest of the pictures, I packed and sent to his sister. I decided to dress up and make dinner that night. I shopped and brought all the things I would need to make Beef Stroganoff. Olena had taught me to make it. I also made some Russian apple pie and then waited for Dimitri to arrive.

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**_D POV  
_**

I knew that it would be extremely difficult for me to ignore Rose if we shared the same room so I came up with an idea. I shifted all my things from our bedroom to my bedroom. I just hoped what Ivan said would work and not backfire.

The house was silent and empty without Rose around so I decided to go over to Ivan's place. Ivan had a huge gaming room with pool tables, air hockey, and a lot of shit that he didn't need. After a couple of games of pool, Tasha noticed that my mood hadn't really improved and dragged me off saying that we were going to loosen up. She dragged me to some club and ordered us Russian vodka. I usually held my alcohol well but with the amount that I took, I had no idea of what was going around me.

I was having fun when Tasha dragged me back to my house before I did anything stupid in my drunken state. Tasha drove me home because she was sober and rang the bell. When Rose opened the door, I was so confused why she was dressed. Was she dressed for Andre? And why was she up so late. I couldn't understand why there was food at the table either. I simply pushed past her a ran to my bedroom and collapsed on my bed.

The next day I woke up with a terrible hangover. _Damn, I'm going to kill Tasha._ Images from yesterday flashed through my head. Shit, Rose must have been waiting for me last night. I was such a jerk, the first time she tries to do something good for me and I decide to ditch her. I remembered the look of hurt on her face when I pushed past her and went to my room. I also realized something, Ivan was right. When I refused to pay attention to her and ignored her,she was nicer to me.

I showered and dressed and when I made my way to the table, I saw that Rose was seated and was surprised to see that she had made me breakfast. Normally, she would be sleeping at this time. She really was trying to be nicer to me. I felt guilty for being such a jerk and ignoring her yesterday, I could have called her at least and told her that I would be late. I told her that I was sorry but I could see that she was still hurt but she tried to hide it from me.

I was so busy thinking about last night that I didn't realize what she was wearing. My jaw nearly dropped at the sight of it. If she wanted revenge, there were so many other ways to torture me. I'd prefer it if she gave me a cold shoulder but this was just TORTURE. She was wearing a lacy purple camisole and the skimpy lingerie barely covered anything. Her tanned skin looked so soft and smooth and I wanted to run my mouth along the swell of her breast. Thinking about her caused some other parts of me to awaken. I struggled to keep my control and resist her. I had to listen to what Ivan said and she was making it so much more difficult for me.

Keeping my control as best as I could, I sat far away from her as if she was something dangerous. I ate my breakfast silently as tried my best to keep my eyes on the food when there was something so mouthwatering sitting in front of me. I knew that I would be working late today so it made no sense for Rose to wait up for me like yesterday. I told her not to wait up for me and noticed that her face fell when I said that. I promised her that we could go out for dinner some other time and she seemed a bit happier. Before leaving, I kissed her cheek softly and apologized again and was rewarded with a real smile this time.

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Rose POV

I waited for what seemed likes ages for Dimitri to come back. I was beginning to clear up the table when the door bell rang. I ran to open the door but I was shocked to see Tasha along with Dimitri. Why was she with him? She helped him in the house and walked away without saying a word to me. What hurt me more than finding him with her was that he simply ignored me and walked past me to his room.

I cleared up the table and emptied the wine into the sink. I wanted to scream in frustration but I knew it was useless because Dimitri was probably asleep by now. If Tasha thought she could steal Dimitri away from me, she was wrong. I knew I had a nice body and if that was the only way I could grab Dimitri's attention, then I would do it. I would tempt him and make sure that he wanted me so bad that he couldn't control himself. I would make him wild with lust.

I went through the clothes Viktoria had packed for our honeymoon and picked out a purple camisole that barely covered my ass. I knew that we'd be alone tomorrow so it was the perfect time to tempt him. I set my alarm so that I could wake up earlier than usual and make him breakfast.

The next morning, although I was sleepy, I showered and dressed in the skimpy outfit and put a touch of makeup. I ran to the kitchen and fried eggs and bacon and I knew that Dimitri would be here in a couple of minutes so I sat on the table and sipped my orange juice.

He arrived in a couple of minutes and the surprise on his face was evident. I could see his eyes grow wide as he took in my appearance and I did a little happy dance inside my head. I was a little disappointed when he didn't sit near me though. I got even more upset when he said that he would be late and that I shouldn't wait up for him. It got so lonely in this house without him and he didn't like it when I stayed out with Andre. I had almost lost hope but he surprised me by kissing my cheek before leaving.

After he left, I cleaned my room for a while and then sat on the bed hugging the pillow that still had his aftershave on it. I didn't get why he was shutting me out. A while later, I got bored so I called Lissa who wanted to plan her masquerade ball. I dressed and went over to Lissa's where Mia was and we got Lissa to spill the news that she wanted to announce at the masquerade. She finally couldn't hold it in anymore and told us that she was engaged. I wasn't really a surprise to me but I pretended to be surprised anyway when she showed us her ring.

We help her make the guest list and decide on the location. I was excited because I knew that Dimitri would be there as well and I could buy the perfect ball gown to show him what he's missing. Lissa was super excited about the shopping part and dragged us along to shop with her.


	16. Chapter 17

**I just realized that I have over a hundred reviews and so many alerts and favorites on this story. I want to thank ALL of you for reading this story and reviewing. **

**ItasSaku1,Brenda Cholagh, ,lovingbites, Lena1997, VAMPIRESEX, ashleyr2569, katherinesilvasweet, booklover17. Simles-Daily, dimitri007, mademoisellesnow, RozaDimka, jemily23 forreviewing the last chapter. ( forgive me if I've misspelled your pen names or missed out anybody's name..)**

**Thank you!**

I**'m really sorry for not updating for a while, I've been really busy but the worst part is that I bear more bad news.. I won't be updating from the 20th-30th because I'm going to be in a jungle in India and they don't have Internet there :(**

**But if I make it back alive, I'll update by the 1st :D**

**I DO NOT OWN VAMPIRE ACADEMY**

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**We help her make the guest list and decide on the location. I was excited because I knew that Dimitri would be there as well and I could buy the perfect ball gown to show him what he's missing. Lissa was super excited about the shopping part and dragged us along to shop with her.**

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**I didn't know whether to do a Rose POV or a Dimitri POV this time so I settled on doing both :D.**

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**ROSE POV**

Once we were at the mall, we hit the shops that sold the Venetian style gowns. Lissa wanted everything to be perfect for the masquerade and she was the first to find hers.

It was a beautiful emerald green gown that complemented her skin tone perfectly. The sleeve was a netted fabric and there were small sliver and black gemstones scattered along the length of the sleeve. The hemline of the gown also had the same silver and black gemstones. It was perfect for Lissa and it made her eyes stand out. After she was assured that it was a unique piece, Lissa paid and walked out.

Mia and I couldn't find anything that appealed to us in that store so we followed her. Mia found her gown next. It was a cherry red gown with intricate designs in gold all over it. It matched her perfect golden hair and made her look like a goddess.

We visited a few more shops but I couldn't find anything that appealed to me. Lissa complained that she was hungry so we decided to eat before continuing. After we had finished our meal we moved on to buy matching jewellery and shoes.

Lissa picked out a diamond set that went along with her gown. The diamonds weren't too big but they weren't very small either. The earrings were a pair of white gold chains that ended in a diamond shaped like a drop of water.

The chains were delicate and slim and overall the set was gorgeous. It was quite expensive but Lissa's parents were rich and had left enough for Lissa . She found black satin pumps that went along with the dress. She already had a green clutch that went along with

Mia picked out something from the same shop but hers was in gold and rubies. The rubies were a deep red but were small in size so they didn't clash with her dress. The earrings were big, round studs with a ruby in the centre. She also found golden heels that went along with the dress.

Next we moved on to Victoria's Secret where Lissa wanted to pick lingerie and Mia wanted to buy body wash. I had to admit the body wash smelled amazing!

I saw a very sexy pair of lace boy shorts and bra in red and I knew that they would look gorgeous on me. My plan in the morning had worked so I came up with a similar idea to seduce Dimitri. There was a camisole that went along with it and the camisole barely covered my ass. Lissa's eyebrows shot up when she saw the set.

I picked up a few more lace camisoles before paying and walking out. Lissa didn't know that Dimitri and I fought constantly and slept in different rooms and she didn't know about my plan to seduce Dimitri either.

There was one last shop that we hadn't visited yet and it didn't look like many people shopped from there. It had gowns but they were different and far more beautiful than the ones I had seen so far.

The one that caught my eye was a black satin gown. It has small golden jewelled flowers all over it. They flowers were hand sewn and the dress looked very elegant. When I tried it on, I accentuated my curves but didn't hide everything. I couldn't recognise myself because I looked so different in the gown. I knew that this dress would take off Dimitri's mind off everything else; at least that's what I hoped. It made me look sexy yet elegant. It was a perfect fit so I picked it up.

The same shop sold a black feathered mask with gold around the eyes. It covered almost all of my face. I had a earring, necklace and bracelet set in gold that would go perfectly with the dress. I also found gold and black heels that would go well with the outfit.

After shopping for makeup, Lissa drove me back home because I was tired and she and Mia headed off to the spa. I went up to my room and hid the stuff I had bought. I made sure that there was no way Dimitri would be able to see the dress before the masquerade. It was meant to be a surprise after all. After I knew the dress was safe, I collapsed on my bed and fell asleep.

After a short nap I realized that it was 8:00 pm. Dimitri wasn't home yet so I made some spaghetti for both of us but I didn't wait up.

I had my dinner and began to feel bored instantly. I was never the house wife that would clean and cook and I got bored easily. I couldn't sleep so I went to the gym. His house was huge but I finally found the gym that Dimitri had showed me on my first day in this house.

I ran on the treadmill for about half and hour and the worked on the punching bag. By the time I was done, my body was sore and tired. I took a long shower and dressed in the lingerie that I bought today. I snuggled under the covers and before I knew it, I was asleep.

_I was driving to the supermarket humming the song that played on the radio.I admired the beautiful diamond ring on my finger. I was getting married in a few days. I watched how the diamond sparkled in the sunlight._

_I was so distracted that I didn't notice two people crossing the road in front of me. I had knocked over two people. A large crowd gathered in front of my car. I ran out and the sight shocked and repulsed me. I had run over Adrian and my dad. They lay in a puddle of blood as blood pooled around their heads. Their bodies were cold, unmoving, lifeless… The crowd began pointing at me and whispering "She killed both of them"_

I shot up from my bed with a start and realised that I was alone in my bed. I was sweating and breathing heavily from my mouth. It was dark and when I glanced at the clock, I saw that it was 2:00 am. I tried my best to sleep but the scene kept flashing through my mid. I tossed and turned but I couldn't rest.

I sighed and got off the bed. I slid my feet into my soft bunny slippers as I slowly and soundlessly made my way to Dimitri's room. I opened the door just a crack to peep in. I could see from the moonlight that streamed through the curtains that Dimitri was in bed.

I debated whether to leave him alone or the slip in with him. I wouldn't get sleep tonight if I slept alone so I decided to slip in the bed along with him. I just needed the company for tonight to keep the nightmares at bay, I wouldn't wake him up and by the time he woke up, I would have left.

I opened the door wide enough so that I could walk in. The door creaked and I cringed. I would have to oil this door later although I didn't plan to sneak in his bed every night. Thankfully, Dimitri didn't stir and continued sleeping. As stealthily as I could, I slipped in his room and under the covers.

I pressed my back to his warm, muscular, chest; careful not to wake him up. His cool breath fanned over my neck and had a calming effect on me and before I knew it, I was in deep sleep.

When I opened my eyes, the sun was just rising. Dimitri's hand was resting on my hip so I moved it away carefully and turned to face him.I glanced at his sleeping figure. He looked even more peaceful than he had before I slid in with him.

His hair was always in that hair tie although a few strands slipped out when he was sleeping.

I admired his strong jaw and nose. I kissed his chin softly, his slight stubble tickling my lips and I did it to thank him silently. He didn't move or respond.

In a way I was thankful and so I slipped out of his bed and put a pillow so that he didn't wake up feeling like something was missing. I walked out of his room and into mine and lay on my bed and took a nap. I would be getting up in a few hours anyway to make him breakfast.

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**D POV**

When I came home later that night, I noticed that Rose wasn't around and I was a little disappointed that Rose hadn't waited for me but I was the one who told her not to wait up. I found my dinner in the microwave and I ate it silently.

It was nice to have a woman in the house that cooked and cleaned for you. Rose didn't have many demands either and it was quite easy and comfortable living with her apart from the fights that we had.

I cleaned the dishes after I was done and put everything away. I wanted to check up on Rose but I didn't want to wake her up plus I promised Ivan that I would give her her space.

I showered and slipped a pair of cotton pajamas on and slid under the covers and fell asleep. I didn't have any dreams off late but I was surprised when I moved and felt something soft and warm.

I hugged it closer because it was so soft, warm and smooth but then I realized that there wasn't anything near me when I went to sleep. I panicked and switched on my night lamp. I was surprised to see Rose in my bed because she normally slept alone. I didn't know why she was here but I had a feeling that he was having a nightmare.

She was a deep sleeper because she didn't even move when the light fell on her face. All of a sudden I realised that when I shifted to turn on the light, the covers had moved away from Rose's body and were no longer covering her.

My eyes roamed across her body and I swallowed because my throat suddenly felt dry. Her skin looks so smooth in whatever she was wearing (or not wearing). Her face was turned away from me, so I propped myself on my elbow and moved closer to her as I examined her face.

In the glow of the night lamp, she looked even more beautiful if that was possible. I was one lucky bastard to have this beauty all to myself. Abe really trusted me if he left his daughter that looked like a goddess, in my care.

She looked peaceful now, I admired her skin, her long lashes and her brown hair that spilled over her pillow as well as mine. It covered a part of her cleavage that was exposed because of the low neckline of her red camisole. The skin of her neck looked so soft and delicious that I could help but press two soft kisses on it.

She smelled amazing and I wanted to do so much more to her. I looked back at her face and her lips were pink and slightly puckered. I pressed a soft kiss to them as well but when she didn't stir, I kissed her softly once, twice and then thrice because I couldn't resist her.

A few minutes later, she stirred a bit and I didn't want to wake her up so I quickly switched off the light. Her camisole had ridden up while she was sleeping and I caressed the exposed skin of her thigh.

I found my eyelids drooping again as I placed my hand on her hip. I really hoped that she would be there when I woke up but I knew that if she had slipped into my room unnoticed, she would want to slip out the same way.

I decided to make the most of it as I buried my faced in her neck and smelled her amazing scent and fell asleep.

When I woke up next morning, I was disappointed although I had expected this to happen. She had placed my arm around a pillow so that I wouldn't notice her missing.

I hated the fact that she didn't want to accept that she needed me. I knew that if I brought up the topic at breakfast, she would never slip in bed with me again even if she had the worst nightmare.

The way I woke up instantly put me in a sour mood. I got out of bed, washed, brushed my teeth and dressed in my usual work attire. I walked to the table and saw that Rose was sitting there with a mug of coffee in her hand. I was a bit disappointed to see that Rose had slipped on a dressing gown over her lingerie. Her cleavage was exposed just a little but it wasn't the same sight I had been awarded with last night.

She had already made me breakfast just the way I liked it and it put a smile to my lips.

Even though she said that she would never love me, she never made life difficult for me. She adjusted herself as much as she could to my lifestyle and I appreciated it. Like yesterday, I kissed her but this time on the neck hoping that she wouldn't remember that I'd done it last night as well. She didn't move away or cringe so I guessed that it was a good sign. She sent me a dazzling smile that made me look at her like a stupid fool. She waved to me as I walked out of the door to my car.

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**I hope my description of their gowns was good enough because I live in an entirely different part of the world and I have never been to a masquerade. Please let me know if I've made any errors because English isn't my first language and let me know if you have ideas or suggestions.**


	17. Chapter 18

**I am so so sorry for not updating although I promised that I would update. Its just that ever since I've been back, I miss everything that I was doing when I was there, I miss the camp, the weather, the tents and I miss the people I was with so fucking much and I know that I'll probably never see them again so it has made really depressed and all I do nowadays is cry. Anything I do reminds me of that place and I can't write when I'm depressed.**

**Anyway, I wanted to thank ItaSaku1, georgia D. rose, xLiveSimleLovex, jemily23, mademoisellesnow, bitequeen16, Lena1997, ashleyr2468, xX Dimka's girl 4 ever Xx, littlebadgirl2904 LuPeters and Radioactive hearts for reviewing :)**

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**R POV  
**

With Dimitri gone, I was left to entertain myself. I decided to work out a bit and after I was sweaty and exhausted I took a long and relaxing bath with vanilla scented bath salts. After I was done, I decided to explore Dimitri's house a bit. It was beautiful I had to admit and even the view of the surrounding forest was breath-taking.

I decided to decorate my room a bit. I shifted the furniture around till I was pleased with the arrangement. I set a few photos of Lissa and me on the bedside table along with a frame containing a picture of Dimitri and me when we were at the lake house.

I had a quick lunch and surprisingly I was sleepy. Waking half an hour later and feeling refreshed I realised that I was in the mood to cook and I was surprised because I wasn't really fond of cooking. I took out one of Dimitri's cars and drove to the nearest grocery to get supplies. On my way I texted Dimitri to ask whether he would be coming home for dinner and was instantly in a good mood when yes said yes.

I wanted Dimitri to sample Turkish cuisine so I picked up some chicken mince along with boneless and some flour. I also picked some herbs and tomatoes before making my way back.

I decided to make kebabs along with grilled chicken I knew that it would take a long time to cook and would keep me busy. I made a type of Turkish bread that was delicious and I hoped Dimitri would like it.

I put the chicken to grill and I knew that Dimitri would be here any moment. Flipping through channels on the television, I waited for Dimitri to arrive.

I was getting impatient, Dimitri was an hour late and I had a feeling that Dimitri had stood me up again. Tears of frustration built up in my eyes and flowed down my cheeks. I had no idea why I even bothered with him. I must have fallen asleep on the couch because when I woke up, I heard the sound of the door opening.

I walked sleepily towards the door and found Dimitri at the door with a bunch of lilies in his hand. He must have seen the tear stains on my face because he began to apologize almost instantly. I decided to give him the silent treatment as I walked to the oven and took out the warm food from the oven and sat down on the table.

Dimitri would have noticed that I was really upset because he sat right next to me and grabbed my hand and pressed a kiss on my wrist.

"I'll do anything to make up for it Rose. I'm really sorry I'm late"

"Anything?" I asked him.

He simply nodded. I thought for a second and replied. "Promise me you'll be at Lissa's masquerade tomorrow". Dimitri seemed confused but didn't hesitate. "I'm sorry; I promise I'll be there, I was planning on going anyway."

I couldn't stay mad at him anymore and conversation flowed a little easier between us. Dimitri really liked the meal and rubbed his belly in appreciation which made me giggle. He helped me clear the dishes. We sat on the couch together watching the news and I was suddenly aware of Dimitri's presence next to me. He leaned closer to me and I tilted my face to see his. He leaned closer to my lips and froze as my heartbeat sped up. Almost at the last moment he changed his mind and kissed my cheek instead. More than disappointed, I was annoyed. He built up so much anticipation and let me down. I pushed him away angrily and got up and went back to my room.

When my anger finally subsided, I fell into restless slumber.

When I woke up I realized that I was late and Dimitri was probably gone by now. When I got down to the table, there was a plate and a note beside it that read: 'I'm sorry if I did anything wrong yesterday. I made you breakfast but you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you. I'll see you at the masquerade.'

I lifted the lid off the plate and saw pancakes. I was surprised because it was made just the way I liked it with lots of syrup. It was still warm which meant that Dimitri had left not too long ago.

I ate quickly and checked my pone only to see three texts from Lissa. She and I had planned to go to the spa and get pampered before getting dressed. I wanted to look good in front of Dimitri and I wanted to show him what he was really missing.

Carrying my dress, shoes and jewellery, I drove over to Lissa's. Mia was waiting along with Lissa and we drove to the spa together. Hours after pampering ourselves, I looked at my reflection in the mirror pleased with what I saw. My skin looked silky and my hair looked soft and glossy. I did a hairstyle that left my hair half up and half down and the rest of the curls went till my waist.

Lissa helped me with my makeup and my dress and I had to admit that I looked hot but I was still nervous. I adjusted my mask and made sure my jewellery was in place. As the party began in full swing, I weaved through the people sipping my champagne looking for Dimitri. I spotted Tasha in the crowd but no sign of Dimitri. I danced along with a few people as well but there was no sign of Dimitri.

I was beginning to get tired and my feet were starting to hurt like hell. I felt my shoulder being tapped and I turned to see a man who was quite tall standing behind me, his face covered by a mask that covered his entire face. He asked me if I wanted to dance, his voice had an accent that sent shivers down my spine. I wasn't really in the mood so I gently declined and hurried away from him. I read him call "Roza" behind me and I had no idea what it meant so I simply continued to walk.

The crowd fell silent suddenly and I saw Christian clink his wine glass. He was standing along with Lissa and both had bright smiles on their faces. I had to admit that they made a great couple.

"I have an announcement to make" Christian began "My beautiful girlfriend, Lissa and I are engaged"

The crowd cheered and congratulated them. I smile at Christian but I wasn't surprised. Lissa interrupted the cheering.

"That's not the end of it, I'm pregnant" She beamed. Christian seemed shocked and so was I. I hadn't seen that coming. A second later his mouth split into a huge smile but mine didn't. I walked into her garden ad sat down on a bench. I was shocked and jealous.

Lissa never wanted to get married and as far as I knew she always hated kids. Kids were something that I had always wanted. It had always been my dream to have a family with lots of kids. Why had all my dreams shattered when Lissa got everything so perfect? Why was my marriage so hopeless and why dis my husband not love me like Lissa's.

My face was wet with tears as I sobbed silently. No matter how hard I tried with Dimitri, it never worked. He was never there for me when I needed him. He was married to his job instead of me. Hell, he liked Tasha more than me.

He never kept his promises when it came to me. All I had asked of him was a little attention. I just asked him to accompany me here. Why was it so hard to fulfill my smallest desires?

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't realise that there was a stranger sitting beside me on the bench. I looked up and realised that it was the same man that I had refused to dance with.

"Go away!" I told him but he wouldn't go. He simply pulled me into his arms and let me cry my eyes out. After I was done, I began to feel really embarrassed because I was crying all over a random stranger. I really couldn't help feeling comforted in his presence.

I let my eyes roam over him in the moonlight. He had broad shoulders and was quite muscular. His silky hair went down till his chin and he smelt quite familiar.

"Want to talk about it?" I couldn't place his accent but it was familiar. Oddly, I felt really comfortable around him although I didn't know him at all. Soon I found myself spilling my life story to a random stranger. I don't know why I did it. Maybe because I was lonely and upset and someone was here listening so patently to my story or maybe because I was angry at Dimitri and needed to let it out, I'm not sure why but I went on to tell him about Dimitri and my loveless marriage.

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**I sort of have an idea for another story but I have no idea what to call it.. **

**Dimitri and Rose are childhood friends ever since Rose threw a book at their kindergarten teacher for asking Dimitri to spell his full name. As time passed, they changed but still remained best friends. Rose was a total tomboy, she was popular among the boys not because she was pretty but because there was not a single boy who would beat her at a race. Not even Dimitri. They bickered constantly because Dimitri refused to accept defeat. What if Rose starts having feelings when they're in the 10th grade. Will Dimitri ever see Rose the way she wants him to see her or does Dimitri have someone else in mind...  
**

**So, help me with a title PLEASE :)  
**

**and gimme 15 reviews and the next chapter will be up!  
**


	18. Chapter 19

**I wanted to thank all those reviewed :)**

**Georgia: You have a point, it's not really nice of me to do that. I could lose a lot of readers in the greed for reviews. I'll try not to repeat it :)**

**This chapter is smaller because I updated in less than a day (by my time). I won't be able to update very often, maybe one a week because I'm on vacation and my mom limits my internet use :/**

**Anyway, enjoy :D**

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"Go away!" I told him but he wouldn't go. He simply pulled me into his arms and let me cry my eyes out. After I was done, I began to feel really embarrassed because I was crying all over a random stranger. I really couldn't help feeling comforted in his presence.

I let my eyes roam over him in the moonlight. He had broad shoulders and was quite muscular. His silky hair went down till his chin and he smelt quite familiar.

"Want to talk about it?" I couldn't place his accent but it was familiar. Oddly, I felt really comfortable around him although I didn't know him at all. Soon I found myself spilling my life story to a random stranger. I don't know why I did it. Maybe because I was lonely and upset and someone was here listening so patently to my story or maybe because I was angry at Dimitri and needed to let it out, I'm not sure why but I went on to tell him about Dimitri and my loveless marriage.

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**R POV**

He was patient and didn't interrupt me when I told him about Adrian, Mason, Eddie and my dad. I didn't realise I was crying while talking until he wiped away the tears that trickled down my cheek with the pad of his thumb.

When my sobs had become sniffles, he passed me a tissue which made me feel all the more embarrassed but he didn't let me go when I tried to pull away. When I was done with my story, he chose to speak.

"Why don't you like this Dimitri guy? Is he really that bad?"

I thought for a minute. I didn't really hate Dimitri it's just that he paid such little attention to me.

"He's married to his job instead of me. I'm nothing but a show piece to him. He cannot fulfill the smallest things I ask of him."

"Have you ever tried to talk to him about it?"

I shook my head to tell him no. "I can't really open up to him because I think the only reason he puts up with me is because my dad asked him to"

"Are you sure that's the only reason he stays with you? You've never spoken to him, there could be another reason"

I sighed. This guy was right, I hadn't really been very nice to Dimitri in the beginning and we never really talked. "He just has some annoying habits which makes me so mad at him"

"What habits?" I knew that I shouldn't be telling so much about my marriage to a stranger but it was nice to have someone who would just listen to you.

" He doesn't get it when I want to me held or hugged. Sometimes he leans to kiss me and the last minute he changes direction and kisses my cheek. It makes me feel like I'm some repulsive being, like he can't stand kissing me. Every time I expect him to open up and talk about his past, he hides himself behind his mask of indifference"

He took my hand in his warm one and kissed it softly. "I'm sorry for what you've been through. I wish I could help"

I gave him a weak smile. "Thanks for comforting me. It means a lot to me"

He didn't say anything to me; he simply leaned and pressed his lips against mine. I knew it was wrong, I should have pulled away, I was cheating on my husband. _Cheating on my husband who didn't give a damn about me._ I tangled my fingers in his hair and deepened the kiss, the soft kiss we had been sharing suddenly got rougher and more animalistic. He pulled away, breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that without asking you but I've wanted to do that all night. You look beautiful."

I blushed at his compliment. "Thanks, and don't me sorry."

He looks up at the sky as we held hands and sat in silence. A while later, he tugged my hand and stood up.

"Let's get you home. You must be tired" I wanted to protest and stay in his company but he was right, I was tired and my feet really hurt.

We walked towards the cars and suddenly he changed the direction he was going and went the other way. I was confused.

"Why did you change your direction?"

"I forgot where my car was parked. It's not that way." I shrugged and followed him into the car. He began to drive and suddenly I realised that I hadn't told him where I lived.

"How do you know where I live?"

He didn't respond for a couple of minutes. "You're Dimitri's wife, everyone knows where he lives. He's one of the richest businessmen."

I wasn't in the mood to argue and find out more. He stopped in front of my house and took my hand in his.

"If you need to talk to anyone, I'll be there." He scribbled a number on my palm and leaned to kiss me again, only this time I didn't let him.

"I can't, I'm married to someone else. This isn't right."

"I'm married too. Your story is the same as mine. My wife doesn't get me either" I looked into his eyes and could see that he was sincere. I couldn't do this; it wasn't right no matter how good it felt.

I opened the passenger side door and got out of his car.

"Goodnight Roza" He called after me. I walked back to his window, "Why do you say Roza? What does it mean?"

"It's your name in Russian, I won't call you that if you don't like it" I smiled, "You're Russian? I should have guessed from the accent"

He smiled and I couldn't help but notice how tantalising his lips looked.

"Goodnight Comrade" I whispered. He laughed at the nickname, shaking his head. Without giving me a chance to ask him his name or how he knew mine, he drove away.

**D POV**

I looked up at the clock in my office and realized that Rose was going to me mad at me. I was already late. Thankfully Ivan had reminded me to shop earlier. I drove as fast as I could and came to an empty house. Rose must have left earlier to meet Vasilisa.

I showered quickly and changed into my clothes that Ivan had helped me buy. Christian had told about how Roza had wanted to surprise me today in a black dress and Lissa couldn't keep the secret so she blurted it out to him and he did the same and spilled it to me.

I could surprise Roza instead. I'm sure she would have been surprised if she thought I was someone else. I couldn't wait to see her face. By the time I arrived at the party, I knew I was late but I was able to spot her in the crowd. Her hair looked long, glossy and beautiful just the way I liked it and she took my breath away.

There were a lot of people who kept stopping me to chat on the way to her and I didn't want to be rude but it was starting to get annoying. I got up to Roza and smiled.

"Would you like to dance?"

" I'm sorry but I have to be somewhere.." I was disappointed. I expected her to recognise me but I realised that I was so awed by her beauty that I had let my Russian accent that I usually managed to hide, seep into the sentence. Rose might have not realized it.

"Roza!" I called after her but she had already mingled with the crowd

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Review? :) and I didn't get many ideas for the new story's title :/

please PM me if you have any ideas for the title..


	19. Chapter 20

**So sorry for the late update...!**

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**_D POV_**

I looked up at the clock in my office and realized that Rose was going to me mad at me. I was already late. Thankfully Ivan had reminded me to shop earlier. I drove as fast as I could and came to an empty house. Rose must have left earlier to meet Vasilisa.

I showered quickly and changed into my clothes that Ivan had helped me buy. Christian had told about how Roza had wanted to surprise me today in a black dress and Lissa couldn't keep the secret so she blurted it out to him and he did the same and spilled it to me.

I could surprise Roza instead. I'm sure she would have been surprised if she thought I was someone else. I couldn't wait to see her face. By the time I arrived at the party, I knew I was late but I was able to spot her in the crowd. Her hair looked long, glossy and beautiful just the way I liked it and she took my breath away.

There were a lot of people who kept stopping me to chat on the way to her and I didn't want to be rude but it was starting to get annoying. I got up to Roza and smiled.

"Would you like to dance?"

"I'm sorry but I have to be somewhere…" I was disappointed. I expected her to recognize me but I was so awed by her beauty that I had let my Russian accent that I usually managed to hide, seep into the sentence. Rose might have not realized it.

"Roza!" I called after her but she had already mingled with the crowd.

I weaved through the crowd looking for her but she had mysteriously disappeared. Just when I spotted her, Christian clinked his champagne glass and the crowd went silent. Not wanting to interrupt his announcement and disrupt the crowd, I fixed my gaze on Rose so that she didn't get away and stayed put.

I was really happy for them. They had exactly what I wanted, what I once had or what I thought I once had.

When I turned to look at Rose again, she looked shocked at first but then her expression changed suddenly in a way that I hadn't expected. She didn't look very comfortable or happy. She looked lonely, like she didn't belong which was extremely odd. I knew that Rose would be ecstatic normally if Vasilisa was happy, that's how Rose was. She always put Lissa's needs before hers. I followed Rose silently this time as she walked into the garden and sat down on a bench behind a tree.

Rose was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice that I was following her. Her face had an odd kind of pain and loneliness and I somewhat recognised the look. I wished I could go and comfort her but I knew that she wouldn't talk to me. It was then that I realised that she was sobbing. It was all very confusing because she seemed okay a while ago.

I still didn't have a clue why she had got up and left the previous night when I had kissed her. Didn't she want to be kissed? Had I done something wrong? Rose was so difficult to comprehend; I honestly didn't get her sometimes.

I couldn't sit and watch her cry her eyes out on the bench so I sat next to her on the bench and let her cry. I needed to comfort her, to know what was wrong. It broke my heart to watch her cry and having sisters around me while growing up, I knew women didn't like being asked too many questions.

She might have realised after a while that I was sitting next to her. " Go away!" She yelled but continued to cry. Not knowing what to do, I pulled her into my arms and let her cry. She was probably too exhausted to fight me so she continued to cry. After a while she pulled away and in the moonlight I could see her blush slightly out of embarrassment as she dabbed her eyes and tried to discreetly dry her nose.

I could see her eyes roaming my face and I thought that she might recognise me but the mask I bought completely covered my face. Surprisingly, she nodded.

" I hate my husband, I know we didn't get married by choice but I didn't expect it to be so bad. A month ago, my fiancée died on the day of my wedding and the same day my dad passed away too but before he died, he asked me to marry him because he trusted him and I had no family left."

Ouch it hurt to hear it directly from your wife's mouth that she hated you. I knew that I wasn't her favorite person but I hadn't really done anything to hurt her that bad. It was the first time she had talked to me about their deaths and she still looked broken. I wanted her to continue " I'm so sorry to hear that."

She nodded sadly and continued." I didn't only lose my fiancée and my Dad; I also lost Mason and Eddie, two of my best friends. I've never felt so alone in my entire life. I basically lost everyone I loved that day. I said quite a few horrible things to Dimitri even though he never did anything wrong and I'm sorry about that but he won't give me a chance to make up for it. It's like I'm living with a stranger. We barely talk and the only conversation we have is at breakfast."

I was quiet as I thought about what she said. We didn't talk much because we had nothing to talk about and I had no clue about her trying to make up for what she said to me when we were engaged. I was ready to forgive her for it. I noticed that a tear trickled down her cheek as she spoke and I leaned and wiped it with my finger. I hated to see her cry. I had to know why she hated me so much, I was hopelessly in love with her and she hated me. There had to be a way for me to change the way she felt about me

"Why do you hate this Dimitri guy so much? Is he really that bad?" I wished I could read her mind.

"He's married to his job instead of me. I'm nothing but a showpiece to him. He cannot fulfil the smallest things I ask of him." How could she accuse me of keeping her as a showpiece? She never even spoke to me about it. I had to defend myself.

"Have you ever tried talking to him about it?" I asked her.

She shook her head. " I can't really open up to him because I think the only reason he puts up with me is because my dad asked him to."

That's how less she thought of me. I didn't have to put up with her, I wanted to be with her. It had been my choice, she wasn't forced on me. How could I get it through her that I didn't do it because I was asked to but because I loved her. Was she so sure that I didn't want her?

"Are you sure that it's the only reason she puts up with you. You've never spoken to him, there could be another reason."

I was trying my best at this point to tell her indirectly that I wanted her. I could have told her that myself but I doubt she would tell all the things she had been telling me a while ago. I decided that I would try and find a way for her to like me when she didn't know it was actually me.

"He just has some annoying habits which makes me so mad at him."

Huh? I had no idea what she was talking about. "What habits?"

" He doesn't get it when I want to be held or hugged. Sometimes he leans to kiss me and then changes direction at the last moment and kisses me on my cheek. It makes me feel like I'm some repulsive being…."

I never moved away from her because of that, Tasha told me that Rose needed her space and that's what I was trying to do. Even Ivan suggested that she might not be ready for physical contact.

I was truly sorry for what I had done, I had pushed her away. I looked at her face once more and her beauty caught me off guard again. I leaned in and pressed my lips against hers and I knew that if I had revealed my identity, she would understand that I didn't find her repulsive but it was too late now. She had opened up to me thinking that I was somebody else and I didn't want her to feel embarrassed now.

Somewhere through our kiss, we began to get more animalistic and I wanted nothing more that to take her now but I knew that it was wrong. It was getting late so I decided to drive her home making sure that I didn't get my mask off. I held her hand as I pulled her towards my car and then suddenly realised that Rose would recognise it. I hoped that she wouldn't notice me change my direction.

I nearly got caught when she asked me how I knew where she lived but she was satisfied with my excuse. Hundred thoughts ran through my mind as I drove her home. In the end I realised that I wanted to continue with this pretense. It was the only was I could get to know the real her. When I stopped in front of my house, I scribbled a number I knew Rose wouldn't have on her hand telling her that I was there if she needed to talk.

I kissed her again, wishing that I could do it more often but she broke away.

"I can't… I'm married." I was glad that Rose wouldn't betray me no matter what. I tried to lessen her guilt by telling her that I was married too but I could see that it didn't make her feel any better.

I left her at the house and drove Ivan's car into an old garage at the back of the mansion. I hadn't shown Roza that part of the house and there was no way she would see Ivan's car because I planned to drive it back first thing in the morning.

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Rose POV

It was late by the time I got home and Dimitri wasn't home. The high that I had received earlier from comrade's kiss was gone as I sat on his bed and stared around at the empty room. I had to change and I was tired from all the crying.

I decided to use Dimitri's bathroom because he wasn't there. Staring into my reflection in the mirror, I realised that I looked terrible. I hadn't used waterproof makeup and the eyeliner and mascara had left tear stains. My eyes were red and puffy and my nose was blotchy. I looked like a mess instead of the beauty I had planned and the realisation made me cry more.

I jumped into the shower to wash up, all the while getting more and more upset thinking about Dimitri. He had ditched me for work _again _and I was beginning to wonder whether it was work that was keeping him late in the office. I didn't remember seeing his blonde secretary at the party and I was sure that it was her keeping him busy I thought bitterly.

I slipped on an old pyjama and tank top and made my way to my room. Dimitri's scent wouldn't let me sleep in his and remind me of him all over again. My bed looked warm and inviting and I fell asleep almost instantly.

Something shifting next to me woke me up. I switched my lamp and turned to find Dimitri slipping into my bed. Looking at the watch I realised that I had hardly slept for 10 minutes.

He had the nerve to try and sneak into my bed after ditching me. I was more that annoyed at him, he had made me cry and the fact that he was the first guy that made me cry got me pissed.

"Don't you dare try and get into my bed! If you take one more step towards me I swear I will castrate you with my white flossing thread. I gave you one chance to make up and you let it go. You can go back to your blonde secretary's bed or wherever you're wanted. " I yelled at him although my voice broke towards the end.

He looked confused when I mentioned his secretary but I wasn't fooled. He examined my face and must have seen my red, puffy eyes because he looked guilty almost instantly.

"Look I'm really sorry, and I don't know what you're talking about. Sydney's on leave because her sister's getting married and I had a shit load of work which I couldn't leave."

I had to believe him about the Sydney part because I had heard Tasha earlier at the party. I was stupid to jump to conclusions but I was still mad at him for not being there.

"I don't care, if your work is more important than me, you have no right to be here and- " I was cut off abruptly by Dimitri's lips on mine which made me all the more angry. How dare he cut me off by kissing me? I really wanted to beat the shit out of him but with his lips on mine it was getting harder to concentrate on my anger and for the second time today I lost myself into a kiss.

I couldn't help but compare how different the kisses were. Comrade's had been rougher, this was more soft and sweet. His lips were begging me to forgive him by distracting me and my anger. His tongue massaged my bottom lip gently but didn't try and push into my mouth.

He broke away first and I felt annoyed at myself for responding to his kiss. I was supposed to be angry at him not clinging to him while he kissed me. My anger came back and I found myself punching him. I had punched a lot of guys who kissed me but this was my first time punching one that I wanted to kiss.

He looked at me with shocked eyes. " That's for cutting me off by kissing me and for ditching me."

What he did next shocked me and him. He grabbed me and kissed me again, this time more deeply.

" I deserved that punch but I'm not sorry for kissing you. I'm sorry for ditching you but I don't want to fight with you anymore. Can't we just call truce? I know you don't hate me as much as you pretend to, if you did you would've pushed me away when I kissed you."

Someone had rendered Rose Hathaway speechless. He was right in a way, and he had already apologized to me and I didn't hate him. I decided to forgive him because I didn't want to fight either.

"I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have hit you." He nodded and got up to leave.

"Don't go, you can stay if you want. I mean you wanted to stay earlier." I hoped he would stay. I didn't want to fight him anymore and I'd slept better in his arms.

He paused in the doorway and looked at me to make sure if I was serious. After a long moment, he walked back into my bed beside me and put his arm around my waist. I didn't push him away and let it rest there.

Just before I fell asleep again I heard Dimitri kiss my neck and whisper.

" I'm so sorry Rose, I promise I'll make it up to you"


	20. Chapter 21

I woke up feeling rested and happy but soon realised that my bed was empty. I was more than disappointed, if he was really planning to make up for it he shouldn't have snuck out and left. I knew that he had left a while ago because of how cold the bed was. I pouted in annoyance and made my way to the shower. I was surprised to see that the mirror was still slightly foggy. He hadn't left last night like I thought, I was a heavy sleeper and the noise wouldn't have woken me up.

I took a quick shower and dressed. Standing in front of the mirror I examined my reflection carefully. There were no signs of my breakdown yesterday. My eyes weren't swollen or puffy like I thought. I smiled at my reflection and then frowned. There was something on the back of my hand, something that I had forgotten. Comrade's number was faded and difficult to read but it was still there. I grabbed my phone and saved the number. I had to thank him for last night.

A part of me thought that it was strange, I complain about Dimitri to a stranger and suddenly he starts acting a lot nicer... But Comrade's advice had also helped. I hadn't pushed Dimitri away, I had forgiven him.

I skipped off to the kitchen to find something to eat. I wasn't disappointed, Dimitri always kept my appetite in mind. I could see pancakes with syrup laid on the table. A single Rose was placed near the plate and on closer examination I found a post it near the plate.

_I'm sorry I didn't wake you up. I guessed you must be tired after yesterday so I let you sleep. Lisa had called to ask about you and she asked me to tell you to call her back._  
_Enjoy your breakfast!_  
_Love,_  
_Dimitri_

I held the note like it was a love letter. He had written love, did he love me? Or had he written it out of habit? I didn't ponder over it for too long because a delicious breakfast was sitting in front of me. I smiled lazily after polishing my plate. Damn, he was a good cook.I sat there wondering what to do next. I didn't have anything interesting to work on so I decided to message comrade.

Hey comrade! Thanks for helping me out yesterday. And I'm going to stick to calling you comrade because you never told me your name.  
PS: I would also like to thank you in person for dropping me off yesterday.  
-R

I received a reply almost instantly.

_It's no big deal Roza. But I do look forward to the thanking me in person part ;) Meet me at six thirty tomorrow?_

I thought about it. Would I be free tomorrow evening? Dimitri usually worked till late but I didn't want him finding out. I had just made things okay between us and I didn't want to ruin our progress. The other thing that bothered me was that I had difficulty keeping control of myself around him. I had met him only once and I had kissed him and enjoyed it. I knew that if I met him again, I wouldn't be able to stop myself. A part of me was eager to see him again, but another part of me said that meeting him again was a really bad idea.

I wasn't sure how to reply to that so I didn't. Instead I decided to take a swim in the indoor pool, it was huge and temperature controlled. After relaxing for more than an hour at the pool I decided to call Lissa and Mia. Lissa picked up at the third ring but said that she was too busy and couldn't meet up. Next was Mia, she seemed really excited and said something about meeting an amazing guy last night. I think his name was Ivan or something. The name seemed familiar but I couldn't put a face to the name. I asked her to come over because I didn't want to get bored.

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Extremely crappy chapter :S Don't hate me :/


	21. Chapter 22

I made up for the crappy chapter I posted earlier. This one's shorter but it's more interesting than the previous one :P

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**Rose POV**

Mia's arrival was a welcome distraction. She was too engrossed in talking about her blond haired crush and it didn't take much to keep her happy. We ate a tub of ice cream as we talked and after she had finished her story, I made some pasta for lunch and we sat and watched tv.

Around 4 o'clock Mia's blond haired boy called up and asked her if she wanted to go out for coffee in the evening. She was super excited and wanted to go home and get ready for her date. By the time Mia left, I was sleepy and fell asleep on the couch.

When I woke up, I realised that there was still a long time for Dimitri to come home and I had way too much free time on my hands. I decided to clean up the house a bit because I had messed it up. I didn't realise how time flew whilst I cleaned. I noticed that the top of the kitchen cabinet was dirty so I took out a mop and a bucket with soapy water. After finding a step-ladder, I began cleaning the tops of the cabinets. I didn't hear Dimitri's car or the front door opening and I was startled when I heard his voice.

"What are you doing up there?" I nearly jumped out of my skin which caused me to loose my footing on the ladder. Dimitri must've noticed this because he came forward to prevent my fall but he didn't expect what happened next.

On my way down the ladder, I ended up kicking the bucket with the soapy water. Dimitri caught me in time but his foot slipped because of the soap and he fall flat on his ass and because he was holding me, I followed him and fell.

I had accidentally bent my knee while falling which caused me to fall directly on him with my knee hitting his crotch. His face immediately crumpled in pain and I felt embarrassed and sorry at the same time.

"I'm so sorry Dimitri, I didn't mean to do that. You just startled me and when you fell you pulled me along with you."

I could see that he was trying to be brave but he was obviously in pain.

"It's not your fault Rose. I shouldn't have snuck up on you and you didn't really hurt me,you just caught me by surprise."

After I had made sure Dimitri was actually okay and not hurt I moved my eyes away from his face and scanned the mess and then I burst laughing.

Dimitri's usually graceful body lay in a puddle of soapy water. The mop that I had been holding was now at our feet. And his clean,pressed business suit had soap stains all over it. Plus his shocked and slightly confused expression made me laugh harder.

Before I could catch by breath, his lips were on mine. His lips were soft at first but when I kissed him back he broke away.

"I've never seen you laugh like that. You should do it more often, you look beautiful."

I didn't have time to think over his words because this time I had leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. His lips were rougher this time and he nipped lightly on my lower lip. His lips drove me crazy and I pushed him more into the soapy water and started to kiss him more roughly. My hand inched towards his pony but before I could take his hair out, he pushed my body away from his and got up.

At first I was stunned, and then hurt. A minute ago we were making out in a puddle of water and I had actually liked it until he chose to roughly push me away. He might have seen the hurt on my face because he knelt down in front of me and kissed me lightly.

"I didn't mean to push you away like that. I just tend to loose control around you and as much as I enjoy kissing you, I would prefer doing it in a better state without soapy clothes."

I giggled at him. " You're right, I'm really wet right now." I immediately blushed at my words. He gave me a boyish grin but didn't say anything.

"I should go change. I'll make dinner after I clean up this mess." I practically flew to my room and locked myself in the bathroom. What had just happened?

One second I was laughing and then we were kissing. I touched my lips slowly, it had felt really good. I hadn't felt this way since Adrian's death. My mind replayed everything that had happened in the kitchen.

_"I've never seen you laugh like that. You should do it more often, you look beautiful." _He had said it like it was no big thing, but he hadn't realized how much it meant to me. He had called me beautiful and I could see that he hadn't been lying, he had meant it. He had asked me to laugh more often and I realized that I hadn't laughed in a while. Not like the way I had been laughing a while ago, I was actually happy and it wasn't forced.

I smiled at the realization and hopped into the shower to get rid of the sweat and soap on me. After I was done, I ran back to the kitchen to clean up the mess. I was surprised to see that it was clean, Dimitri had cleaned it before he left. I walked up to his room to than him, he had just showered and a few strands of hair had escaped from his pony and clung to his face. The moment he saw me, he pushed his hair out of his back into his pony.

I couldn't understand him, did he have a problem with his hair or he just didn't like anyone touching it or seeing it open? He cleared his throat and brought me out of my thoughts.

"You don't have to bother to cook, I've ordered Chinese. I hope you you like Chinese." That made me smile, I loved Chinese and hadn't eaten it in a while.

" I love Chinese! Thanks for ordering, I was too exhausted to cook."

" It's not a big deal, would you like to watch a movie in my room? You could pick anything of your choice." I immediately took his offer, if I watched a movie in his room, I could pretend that I was tired and sleep in his bed. I really missed the warmth when I slept alone and he was amazing at cuddling. He was nervous as he waited for my reply but seemed happy when I accepted.

After the food had arrived and after we had finished eating, I spoke. " Will you be coming home early tomorrow?"

"Do you want to go somewhere?" He examined my face, waiting for my reply. It made it a little harder to lie to him but I managed.

"Nowhere in particular, just wanted to go shopping with Mia." That was a lie, I wanted to respond to Comrade's massage. It's not like I was going to do anything wrong, we were just meeting up as friends I told myself.

" Yeah actually, I'm having a meeting and by the time I'm back it's going to be late. Don't wait up for me." Phew, he had believed my lie which meant that I was free tomorrow. I jumped up to go to the washroom, I texted Comrade that I was free and then washed my hands and came out. I felt a little guilty when I saw Dimitri waiting for me on the bed. I didn't have anything to do anyway and I didn't want to get bored waiting for Dimitri, I reasoned with myself. Besides, it's not like I was doing anything wrong.


	22. Chapter 23

I walked over to Dimitri's dvd collection and scanned the shelves. There were a couple of chick-flicks but I didn't want Dimitri to get bored. Plus if I chose a horror movie, I would have an excuse to snuggle up to him.

I knew that it was stupid of me to look for excuses to get closer to him but I couldn't stop myself. I wanted him, not only because he was attractive but also because he made me feel special and loved. Even when I was a bitch to him, he took care of me and it also scared me because I had been with Adrian for 5 years and never felt like this but had know Dimitri for a little over a month and I had feelings for him.

I picked the first horror movie that caught my eye and pushed it in the dvd player. Dimitri had arranged the fluffy pillows around his bed so I could sit comfortably. His bed smelt like his after shave and a hint of old-spice and I guessed that it was his body wash. I could barely concentrate on the movie and everytime something scary happened, I moved a little closer to Dimitri. I hadn't realized that he was engrossed in the movie.

The next time I moved closer to him, I leaned my head on his shoulder. Dimitri had been watching to screen intently and jumped at the contact. His movement made me look upwards and I hit my head on his nose. Dimitri groaned and rubbed his nose. I was really being clumsy today, first I fell on him and kneed his crotch and now I hit him with my head. He tried to sooth the pain by rubbing to bridge of his nose. I could see that it was a little red but it wasn't bleeding. When he stopped massaging his nose, I realized how close our faces were. Dimitri just had to lean down a bit and his lips would be on mine.

He moved slowly towards my lips, his eyes fixed on them while he gave me a chance to back out. I couldn't move because his lips had me hypnotized as his tongue slowly peeked out between his lips and traced his bottom lip, leaving it moist and shiny, unknowingly I had copied his action. Suddenly, he closed the gap and slammed his lips on mine with force and hunger that took my breath away.

His lips forced mine to open and I could feel his hot breath on my tongue. He continued to trace his tongue along my bottom lip and slowly slid it in my mouth and massaged my own. Rolling me over, he lay on his back, with my legs on each side of his hip with his hands on my hip.

I could feel the heat of his fingers on my bare skin through my flimsy nightdress. Suddenly he rolled me over again so that I was on my back again and attacked my neck with bruising kisses. I could see that his skin was growing warmer and it was slightly flushed. I slid my hands under his shirt and traced his abs. My touch on his belt-buckle jolted him out of his trance because he immediately broken away. He didn't push me away this time.

"We're moving too fast, I don't want to ruin things by doing this so soon."

I sighed but agreed with him. "Yeah, we should take it slower." I yawned and shifted so that I was no longer under him.

"It's late and I'm sleepy, don't you have work tomorrow?"

He kissed my forehead lightly and replied " Get some sleep Roza."

I settled myself comfortably on the bed and turned off the night lamp. Yawning, I turned to my side of the bed ready to fall asleep but he pulled me closer and buried husband face in my hair and wrapped his arm around me. I felt warm and tingly all over and I couldn't decide whether it was a bad or a good thing because I found myself falling into deep sleep.

D POV

I woke up earlier the next morning and watched the sun rising. I could see hints of red and lighter brown in Rose's hair while she slept. How had I gotten so attached to her when I had sworn that I wouldn't fall for a girl again? Was it her beauty or her ability to make me feel at ease? I honestly didn't know.

At first I had convinced myself that I was doing this only for Abe. I was keeping her happy like I promised to him, I had even promised to let her go if it made her happy but I couldn't bear the idea of living without her. I didn't just love her, she was my life now.

A while later I took out my phone to call Ivan and tell him to handle the meetings because I didn't feel like working today. I had kept two phones, one that I usually used for business purposes. I was surprised to see a message from Rose, why had she messaged me? I clicked on the message and read it. Hurt and despair filled me when I read her message, things had been perfect last night and I had felt like I had gotten closer to her than before. Had she not enjoyed spending time with me, was I not good enough for her?

Those thoughts brought back old memories, I had no idea what I did wrong. Why were all my relationships so screwed up? I wasn't going to give up this time. I loved Rose and I would win her heart no matter how difficult it was but for that I needed help, Ivan's help. If I was going to act like two different men, I needed to get a makeover.

I knew that Rose had seen me with my hair open once and that had been at Lissa's ball and I knew that Roza thought I was someone else. If I wanted to keep my secret safe I would have to get rid of my long hair although I loved the current length. I quickly dialed Ivan's number.

"Hey man, it's pretty early. What do you want."

"Ivan I need a favour but I can't talk right now... Can you meet me at the coffee shop near your house?"

"Sure gimme 20 minutes, is everything okay?"

"It's nothing serious but I need to tell you everything in person."

"K I'll meet you there."

I showered quickly and left a note for Rose saying that I had gone off to work. Ivan was early and had already ordered me a coffee. I spotted an empty booth and led him over.

"Dimitri it better be something serious. I just left a gorgeous chick at home to have coffee with you."

"Ivan, you know how I'm in love with Rose right? I just found out that she doesn't feel the same way. The day I was at the ball, I found Roza crying in Lissa's garden. I spoke to her and she didn't recognise me and told me that she hated me and was unhappy with her marriage."

"I'm sorry, Rose is being a bitch. You've done way too much for her." I growled at Ivan

"She's not a bitch, she just lost everyone she loved and trusted, ended up married to a guy she barely knew and I'll admit I'm more caught up in my job than her."

"Woah calm down, you're really crazy about her aren't you What's your plan?"

I ran my hand through my hair one last time. "Rose still doesn't know that it was actually me at the ball. She thinks its some stranger. I gave her my number and she texted me saying that she wanted to meet me. At first I assumed that it was just to talk but Ivan this evening she lied to me. She said that she wanted to go shopping with Mia. She could have just said she was going out with a friend. I realized that she likes me when she doesn't know who I am but the real me pulls her back into the world and makes her realize that she's lost her family."

"That's fucked up Dimitri but I don't blame her. she's confused and doesn't know how she's feeling."

"I know Ivan, I want her to fall for the real me but if I can get to know her by pretending to be someone else, I'm going to do it and for that I need you to help me get a makeover."

"Dimitri I want to help you but I think its a bad idea. You're lying to her, how can you be sure that she won't hate you when she finds out? You're playing games with her already confused feelings, don't do it."

" If I don't try I'll never know whether she feels anything for me. I have to give it a shot."


	23. Chapter 25

**Hello everyone, sorry for the late update! Long AN after the chapter!**

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**DPOV**

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I ran my hand through my hair one last time. "Rose still doesn't know that it was actually me at the ball. She thinks it's some stranger. I gave her my number and she texted me saying that she wanted to meet me. At first I assumed that it was just to talk but Ivan this evening she lied to me. She said that she wanted to go shopping with Mia. She could have just said she was going out with a friend. I realized that she likes me when she doesn't know who I am but the real me pulls her back into the world and makes her realize that she's lost her family."

"That's fucked up Dimitri but I don't blame her. She's confused and doesn't know how she's feeling."

"I know Ivan, I want her to fall for the real me but if I can get to know her by pretending to be someone else, I'm going to do it and for that I need you to help me get a makeover."

"Dimitri I want to help you but I think it's a bad idea. You're lying to her, how can you be sure that she won't hate you when she finds out? You're playing games with her already confused feelings, don't do it."

" If I don't try I'll never know whether she feels anything for me. I have to give it a shot."

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**IPOV**

Ivan had tried his best to stop Dimitri from carrying out his plan but Dimitri had always been a stubborn man, once he'd made up his mind about something, it was impossible to change it.

Ivan, having no other option left, decided to assist Dimitri hoping all the way that things wouldn't get even more screwed than they already were. To carry out his plan to perfection, Ivan knew the perfect person; Emma.

**DPOV**

Emma was an ex-girlfriend of Ivan's that I had grown to trust. She had been reliable and trustworthy even after the two had broken up and I was hoping I would still be in her good books after leaving her out for so long. Besides, I was counting on her to not ask any questions and go along with the plan. Somehow, I had bullied Ivan into calling her and booking an appointment but it hadn't gone too well. Emma had first chewed Ivan out for not calling her in ages and then nearly hung up on him when she found out that the only reason that he had called was to extract a favor out of her. She had reluctantly agreed after Ivan promised that it was only for me. Half an hour later, I sat in a leather chair with a towel around my neck in front of a floor-length mirror.

Emma stood beside me, casually sipping her iced-tea.

"Ivan told me you needed a makeover but he didn't spare any details."

"Um, it's pretty simple, I just need to maybe cut my hair and alter my appearance a bit."

Emma burst into a coughing fit spraying tiny bits of iced-tea everywhere.

"Cut your hair?! Dimitri, you nearly bit my head off when I suggested that the last time."

"Well, I was hoping you wouldn't ask too many questions."

" Dimitri, why do you want a makeover? Something's really wrong here."

I sighed, she wasn't going to drop the subject.

"You see, I got married a month ago and-"

I was rudely interrupted by Emma's shrill voice. " You WHAT? You jerk, you didn't even bother inviting me and you're here for a favor?"

"I'm sorry Emma, it wasn't planned and I can explain."

Nearly an hour later, I had told the whole story to Emma who agreed more with me than Ivan did as she worked on my makeover. She'd lent me some contacts in a lighter shade of brown and cut off my hair and taught me to wear a wig that resembled my original hair.

When I was comrade, I would be wearing the wig and contacts so Rose wouldn't be too suspicious and around her at home, I could be myself. I had gone through the whole plan with Emma, I would take Rose out for dinner in the woods around our house. Rose didn't know that there was a small cabin in the woods that I had built a long time ago and there was a short-cut to it through he back-door of our house. Rose had never been in the woods surrounding the house and I planned to show her the longer route to it so that she took longer to reach than me, that way I'd have time to change when I got home and pretend that nothing had happened.

Emma also suggested that if I wanted the complete truth from Rose I should try and get some alcohol in her system, she was more likely to talk freely that way and if Rose inquired too much about my name and personal life I could tell her that it was better if we pretended to be two strangers and concentrated on fixing our personal lives.

I didn't want to lie too much to Rose, but it seemed like the only option at the moment. Butterflies flitted in my stomach and I was extremely nervous, Rose made me such a wimp but I couldn't help it. I didn't know how she would react to my new appearance, would she be too suspicious about the new look? I was going to have to find out myself.

Around lunch time, I returned home and realised that I had forgotten to take my keys in the morning. Hoping Roza would be home, I rang the door-bell and waited nervously. I had been hoping to avoid Rose to prepare myself a bit but I had no choice. The door swung open a couple of minutes later, Rose stood wearing a pair of shorts and an old tee- shirt of mine, absently humming a song. Her eyes travelled up my body and... CRASH!

RPOV

I was having a really nice dream, I was standing in our kitchen cooking and I could hear Dimitri moving around. A baby's laughter could be heard in the background and the whole kitchen smelled wonderful.

Suddenly, a pair of arms hugged me from behind and even though I couldn't see who it was, I knew it was him. His cologne surrounded my nostrils and a wave of warmth and security hit me. I turned a bit so that I could get a bit closer to him and but felt nothing but cool air.

I shot up from my bed and turned to find the other side empty, one of the things I hated was waking up alone. Somehow, every time I went to bed with Dimitri, I ended up waking alone. The sound of crumpling paper told me that he had left a note. He had to get to work, he'd told me last night but it had slipped off my mind.

Keeping myself busy with morning chores, I hadn't realised how much time I'd spent. What I admired about Dimitri were the little things he did that gave me hope that he did feel something about me. He'd buy me flowers and would pretend like it was nothing but it meant so much more to me. Humming a tune, I decided to place the carnations he'd bought the previous day in a vase.

I had just filled the vase with water when the door-bell rang. It was strange because I hadn't been expecting anyone, I opened the door and the sight that met my eyes made the vase in my hand slip with a loud crash.

Dimitri flinched at the sound of the glass breaking but I couldn't stop staring.

" Dimitri! What happened to your hair? Why?" I couldn't even form the words but I had to admit he looked great. Hell, even if he'd shaved his hair off he'd look great.

" I needed a change, it had to go anyway" He answered but I could see nervousness in his eyes. A tiny part of me felt doubtful that he'd cut it because of me.

" Did you cut it because of me, because of something I did?"

" Why would I do that? You don't like the new look?" He seemed surprised and confused when I suggested that he'd changed his hairstyle because of me but I saw eagerness in his eyes as he waited for my answer.

Grinning at him I replied " It's different but you look good."

His tense body visibly relaxed and he gave me one of his rare smiles. Out of nowhere, his hands went around my waist and he lifted me up to my toes and pressed a kiss to my lips.

" Well I'm glad you approve, Mrs. Belikova." Butterflies erupted in my belly as Dimitri called me that. He seemed to be in a really good mood as he pressed his lips to my cheek and then my neck but I had to break away.

"You gave me such a shock that I dropped the vase Dimitri! Don't scare me like that again."

"Well if you hadn't been busy humming, you would've noticed me. Anyway, did I ever tell you that you look gorgeous in my clothes?"

I looked at him through my eyelashes " I don't recall you telling me that."

" Well you look gorgeous, lets everyone know that you belong to me."

" Over possessive male! Let go of me you big brute, I have to clean up the broken glass" I giggled as he continued to kiss my neck.

I missed the warmth of his arms as he let me go and stepped around the glass and disappeared into the kitchen.

Dimitri helped me clean up the glass and I couldn't help but wonder how things were changing between us, I was really lucky to have a man like Dimitri and I was just starting to realize it.

That evening Dimitri and talked about things we liked, he told me that he'd always wanted a big family and lots of children which reminded me of the dream I had this morning. Dimitri ended up cooking some Russian dish for dinner and I relished it to the last bite. We fell asleep together, and I was sure that I had a smile on my face.

**You guys don't have to suffer my horrible spellings and grammar from now on, 03BonnieAndClyde is my new Beta so you'll have to thank her for Beta-ing this chapter for me. :D**

**Also, you'll have to thank nobes for pushing me to get this chapter done, I'm pretty sure I would have delayed it further if not for her :P**

**Review?**

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I am so so sorry for being SO late and the answer is partly my laziness and my horrible schedule. To top it off some people really began critisizing my writing at school and here which put me off. I can't promise sooner updates because I have my exams in exactly 20 days and the moment they get over, I'll be writing another set with a gap of only 20 something days. March 15th onwards I hope to get this story on track. You'll have to bear with me.

Thank you so much for reading,reviewing the last chapter and putting up with me!

~ihatepotatoes


	24. Chapter 24

Hey guys :) My exams are still going on and I mentioned that I won't be updating till they get over BUT since I'm such an amazing person, I updated anyway :P WEEEEEEEEEL I'm just in those random good moods :P

In Chemistry we're learning the periodic table history, and there's this guy Dimitri Mendeleev who's the genius behind the periodic table. Funny thing is that he's RUSSIAN and he's born in SIBERIA :P And I keep linking him to Dimitri Belikov.

And I know this AN is long but hey, so is this chapter ;) AAAANNNNDDD there are so many interesting things happening in it ;P

Okay. Now an important note: I never intended to write an M scene since I have no experience in that department and tend to sound like a 10 year old x.x so yes I have skipped most of it but there is a little bit of it so those who don't like that stuff can skip a few lines and read :)

This story got nominated for the best VA fanfic of 2012. I would like to thank the voter, you really rock! Unfortunately I didn't get your penname so I can't thank you personally. Voting has begun so PLEASE GO VOTE :D Especially for this story ; P

**beta'ed by: 03 BonnieAndClyde. Thank you for improving this chapter and making it much more readable!**

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Rose POV

I was meeting Comrade today and I was extremely nervous. Part of me felt the guilt about lying to Dimitri about going shopping and the other part of me had a bad feeling about this especially after the amazing night I had just spent with Dimitri. It was not the best thing to do since things were going all so well but I wanted to meet Comrade. Maybe I could just thank him for fixing things between Dimitri and me, I mean I was pretty sure I felt something strong towards Dimitri, there was no way I would ruin things between us.

To make things better, Dimitri had just told me this morning that he would be returning home pretty late and that he would probably be hanging out with Ivan for a while and I was fine with it. It would give me time to relax after my meeting and compose myself before Dimitri came back. All morning I was jittery and excited and I could barely eat, I decided to work out a bit to ease my nervousness and it did work for a while.

Normally, I would be free in the mornings but Dimitri had asked me to do a few errands. I was just contemplating on what to do next when the doorbell rang. I was surprised to find a delivery boy holding a large bouquet of orchids and a big-gift box. The flowers were from Dimitri and he'd just written a sweet note along with the flowers:

"Was thinking about you at work today, even the flowers cannot match your beauty."

I was honestly surprised at that, Dimitri had never openly called me pretty or anything, but he'd always left behind small notes for me in the mornings and I'm guessing he forgot this morning.

The second package happened to be from Comrade. No wonder the guy was confused when he handed the other package to me. The box contained a dress, it was a casual dress in a deep red colour, the neck-line wasn't too low and the size was just right. The dress fit me perfectly and was quite warm actually. It made me wonder where we were meeting since he hadn't told me the exact location. The note along with it read:

"Wear the dress and be ready by 7, I will text you the location afterwards."

The rest of the day passed pretty quickly, I took a long bath and dressed myself in the dress given to me by Comrade. I ditched heavy makeup and simply went for strawberry flavoured lip-gloss and some eyeliner. I slipped some gold earrings in my ears and heels that weren't too high and were quite comfortable.

Glancing at the clock, I realized that it was already 7 and time to go. Checking my phone, I found a long text from Comrade giving me directions to an unfamiliar place. It seemed like it was almost in the middle of nowhere, but Comrade had specifically asked me to take this route and I trusted him.

When I arrived at the location Comrade instructed me to be I spotted a car that I recognised as Comrade's car from the ball. The moment I'd parked my car, the driver's seat door swung open and Comrade stood with a smile on his face. I couldn't make out his features clearly because of the dark but I could see that he was a bit nervous about the whole meeting because of his smile. Something seemed a bit off about him but I couldn't place my finger on what exactly.

He held a silk blindfold in his hand which surprised me, helping me carefully out of the car he motioned me to turn around. "Comrade, where are you taking me that requires me to wear that?"

"Trust me Roza, it is a surprise and you'll find out soon enough."

He slipped his hand into mine and caressed the back of my hand with his thumb. Warmth spread through my arm and I couldn't help but enjoy the simple gesture. A shudder went through my body and I could feel goose bumps on my skin. We walked for what seemed like ages but was probably only 5 minutes.

"Comraaaade, where are you taking me? Can I at least see where we're going?"

"Patience Roza, i'll take off your blind fold when we get there. We're almost there, anyway."

A couple of minutes later, I felt Comrade's presence behind me and his warm fingertips on my cold neck. He traced them around my neck to the back of my head and slowly pulled off the blindfold. His fingers slid down my arm and neck to my hand where he entangled his with mine and slowly tugged me forward with him but I couldn't move.

The sight in front of me had me speechless, small lamps and fairy lights hung around the lower branches of the trees. Comrade had brought us into the woods where he had planned all this. There was a small clearing among the trees and a table set for two. Comrade had anticipated that candles would blow out from the slight breeze and had instead decorated the table with beautiful lanterns that had tiny yellow bulbs. The light from the lanterns cast shadows all over the red table cloth and the entre sight was breathtaking. Despite the slightly chilly breeze, the entire setting was perfect and Comrade had clearly spent a lot of effort on setting it up.

A warm feeling spread through my body at the sight, how could a man who barely knew me, had met me only a few days ago, take so much effort behind a simple meeting. He knew I was married and leaving Dimitri had never been an option and strangely he had never suggested such a thing, but he had done something so sweet simply for me.

He led me to one of the chairs of the table and helped me into my seat before sitting down himself. Slowly he pulled the lid off the dishes and introduced each dish to me. Comrade was Russian and I knew that but he had taken the effort to introduce me to his culture.

"Roza, I know you think that this may be too much for such a meeting but I want you to relax and enjoy."

"It's beautiful Comrade and the food is great. Did you make it yourself?"

"My mama taught me to cook. A few weeks after I moved to America, I missed her cooking and I was sick of American food."

I could hear the love in his voice when he spoke of his mother but most of all I loved the nickname he had given me. I loved the way 'Roza' would just roll off his tongue.

"Whoever gets you is going to be very lucky." I couldn't help but say that, she will be treated to such things every once in a while and it's every girl's dream to have a guy like him.

"Well I hope she knows how lucky she is and if she doesn't then i hope she realizes it soon." So he did have a special girl. I wonder if i have ever met her?

He muttered something quietly to himself. I couldn't imagine what kind of girl wouldn't want him. In the dim light I could make out a few of his features, he had a strong jaw with a light smattering of stubble, full lips that didn't take away his masculinity and very dark brown eyes, so dark they almost looked black. He had shoulder length hair that he left loose and a few strands flew across his face from the wind. Something about him seemed familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it. He was extremely good looking and there was something about that accent that made me feel calm and crazy at the same time.

We got to know each other better, he had an obsession with the wild west that I thought was adorable. I found myself getting more and more comfortable around him and while dinner he tactfully kept the conversion away from our personal lives and I was happy for that. I did not want to return back to reality and realize that I was doing something disgusting and shameful, not to mention had a potential to mess up a lot of things. Firstly and most importantly, my marriage. But the more wine I had, the more relaxed i became around him.

After we had had dinner, he led me a bit away from the table where there was a small cabin that I hadn't noticed earlier. He made a fire in the hearth so the room was warm and cosy and I didn't have to wear my sweater anymore. I explored what looked like the living room while he disappeared into what I think is the kitchen. A few moments later, he came back with a batch of brownies and a bottle of vodka. The brownies were still a bit warm and as soon as the brownie touched the tip of my tongue, I moaned in pleasure.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it Roza but you owe me a favour."

"I owe you one, do I? What do you want me to do?" I replied after a taking a swig of the vodka and Comrade copied my action.

"Dance with me, you don't have to if you don't want to though." The vodka seemed to make him more bold and I didn't stop him.

"Well put on some music, I don't have a reason to refuse." The moment Comrade put on the music I burst into laughter.

"What sort of crap do you listen to?"

"Hey, country music is not crap." It was endearing how he defended himself.

In the dim light of the cabin we danced slowly, something about the way he smelled seemed familiar but yet disguised and my fuzzy brain was sluggish due to the alcohol. The more Comrade drank the more bold he became till our bodies were pressed completely to each other's. The alcohol seemed to make me more and more honest as we whispered in the dark.

"Comrade, I haven't enjoyed anything so much since Adrian's death. Somehow, when I'm with you I feel at peace. Thank you for everything" I left out the tiny detail that I felt the exactly the same yesterday when Dimitri held me while we slept. My fuzzy brain tried telling me something but I had no idea what.

All I could feel was Comrade, his warmth, his muscles, his scent and I was losing my control. Before I could stop myself, I placed my lips over his and wrapped my arms around his neck. He kissed me softly but his hands were a whole different story.

I barely registered when he carried me to the bed and laid me on the sheets. He continued to kiss and nip at my skin as our clothes came off.

"Are you sure Roza?"

I could hear him and I knew something was wrong about this but I couldn't point what exactly. I wanted to lose my virginity to him, he had done so much for me and I felt absolutely safe and comfortable with him, this was what I wanted. I gave him my permission and I lost count of time. The last thing I remembered was laying my head on Comrade's chest and falling asleep.

When I woke up, I could hear the lock on the door turning and footsteps in the corridor. I was on the couch of my house covered by a blanket. My head hurt a little bit but I felt a note in my pocket that read:

"You fell asleep and I guessed that you would want to be home by 12. I didn't want to wake you, your car is in the garage, don't worry about me. I'll call you tomorrow. Take care, Comrade."

Then the guilt came, I had done something horrible and irreversible. I am a terrible person and I deserved to be punished. Dimitri's figure came into view and he might have just returned from work but I couldn't face him. Not right now, not when I smelled like Comrade. I pretended to be sleeping on the couch but what added to my guilt was that Dimitri carefully picked me up and carried me to our room and laid me on our bed. I laid awake for a while before I finally got to sleep again. What seemed real but must have been a dream was Comrade kissing me goodnight and whispering he loves me. Tonight I am problem free and full of bliss but I know that when tomorrow comes I will have to face the mistakes I made...

* * *

Tell me what yooooooooooou think caaaaaause your opinion matters ;D


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